


Siha? What Do You Mean We’re Not In Kansas Anymore?

by DragonDreads



Series: Stardew Valley - Siha [1]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy, Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Farm/Ranch, Alternate Universe - Normal Life, Alternate Universe- Cross Over, Birth Control, Dimension Travel, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Long ass story, Magic, Mass Effect Canon Typical Violence, Modded Game Content, Non-Canon Story Elements, Second Chances, Slice of Life, Suspension Of Disbelief, Synthesis Ending, Thane Krios Lives, Transformation, mature language, non Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-12
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2020-10-17 05:16:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 100,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20615588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonDreads/pseuds/DragonDreads
Summary: Commander Shepard of the SSV Normandy SR-1 & 2 put everything she had into ending a galactic war. She sacrificed and lost so much; so many people. Now she’s told to end it she would have to sacrifice herself.She would gladly pay the price if it meant seeing the one person in her life she loved. The man fate so cruelly took from her; Thane Krios, the galaxy’s most renowned Drell Assassin.Only… the beach she washed up on looked nothing like she expected.*~* Please read the bold text of the opening note *~*





	1. Introduction - Please read Top Note

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I went there.
> 
> Yeah, a strange cross over. I’m tired, fighting a lack of interest in most of my stories.
> 
> Two years ago I stared at yet another cat video posted by my daughter on Facebook, I saw an ad for a Stardew Valley group. And this happened. I began writing that night and continued to write off and on for the following two years until I got about half the story finished. I won't lie, most of you probably won't stick around to finish it as it will take a long time to post chapters while I continue to write the last two sections of it, along with my other main stories. But I am hoping for those of you who give it a chance, you will enjoy it while it holds your interest.
> 
> I love the Stardew Valley game. The characters are refreshing, the storylines and heart events are very well done. The gameplay is relaxed and varied. The PC mod makers for the game are wonderful. If you like an open-ended country-life RPG which reminds you of classics like the original Harvest Moon games, Stardew Valley might be of interest to you.
> 
> *~*
> 
> ** This first chapter will be one to introduce all the mods this game story will contain, along with some information which will help my Mass Effect readers to understand what is going on in the Stardew Valley world if they do not play the game.**
> 
> ** The story will begin on Chapter Two which I will post right after this one. If you're not interested in the notes or mod creator credits, you can skip this chapter and go right to the next. Thanks for reading.**
> 
> *~*
> 
> Standard Disclaimer:
> 
> Bioware owns all of the Mass Effect Universe, not limited to recognizable characters and locations.  
ConcernedApe owns Stardew Valley and all of its assets.  
Any original characters are my own. There is no monetary gain from this work. All I am doing is playing around with the game setting and its characters.  
Please do not use my original characters in a different story unless permission is asked for and received.
> 
> *~* Notice*~*
> 
> I post only on Archive of Our Own or my personal blog. If you see this story on a different site it has been stolen. See Author’s Notes for any translation exceptions.

* * *

Gs are Stardew Valley’s form of currency.

  
Just a note to any new readers and a refresher for my lovely subscribers & guest readers: I do not use a beta for most of my work, as such you will find errors in grammar, punctuation, and wonky sentence structure. I do, however, use several software editing programs to improve the situation and fix most of the errors.

  
You will also find, at times, my characters go OOC from what the games show. I like to think they have more to them than one or two emotions or behaviors which they may be best known for. You will find I add items or remove events: for instance, Stardew Valley heart events will be not added to the story while some of the quests given to you by mail or from the help wanted board may. I may also change those events to fit into the story better. Events may occur out of order. Some events are not in-game at all; just from my own weird imagination.

In any case, I hope you give the story a chance and come to enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

***~* MODS *~***

  


Those reading my Elder Scrolls stories know I mod the heck out of my games. Stardew Valley’s no exception. The following mods are used in the story and most, if not all, are used/were used in my own games.

Also please note that not all the machines or crops I add to this story are in the game whether as a vanilla item or modded item (at least not at the time of the writing of this story and/or not to my knowledge). I began writing this story 11/2017 and I’ve included a few items which were added from mods available at that time, but have not thoroughly gone through the newest mods available on Nexus as of 2/2018.

I’ve provided the name of the mod and the mod author. About ninety-five percent of these mods are available at Nexus Mods. SPECIAL NOTE: If you’re planning on modding your PC game only download mods from the Official Forum (Chucklefish) or Nexus Mods. Unless posted or authorized by the mod authors, most of the other third-party sites contain outdated mods and are/or monetized without permission.

  


**Please note**: I take no responsibility if using these mods corrupts your save game files nor will I help you to install them. Installation is fairly simple but it’s up to you to read and understand what’s going on when you mod a game. Modding is very fluid and ways of modding games can change as new programs emerge. Not all of these mods may work at the time of completion with the writing of this story, or may possibly break with later game/mod updates.

EDIT: Many of these mods are obsolete apparently due to them being XNB mod replacers instead of using the new content patcher mod. Since I no longer play the game (as of the release of multiplayer mode) I can not answer any questions concerning the newer mods available.

  


In no particular order:

    * Yoseiri’s Fairy and Fairy Bushes – by Yoseiri adds fairies to the game which fly around beehives. The appearance of beehives changed to be large pots full of roses.

    * Scarecrow Replacement Mod by – Yoseiri. Changes the base scarecrow and three rarecrows into more whimsical versions.

    * Farmer to Florist – by Kildarien – For the tea leaf drying rack, soap maker, and perfumery and several crops. * UPDATE – unofficial JA port released on Nexus. Has a few bugs still.

    * Chests Anywhere – by Pathoschild

    * Chest Pooling – by mralbobo available only on the Stardew Valley Official forums

    * Longevity – by RTGOAT for taxes, power and water fees. Also turns tree fruits into sodas when putting into kegs– download available on the Nexus mods page. In-depth information for the mod at the Stardew Valley Official forum.

    * New Machines Redux- by Platonymous – for the Hay Drying rack, Vinegar Jar, Lemonade Maker, and Butter Churn.

    * Primitive Artisan Equipment by Ankokou

    * FarmHouseExtendedSmallerBasementVer 1.4 By QuantumConcious – Stardew Valley Official forums. My personal favorite mod for expanding the farmhouse and I still use it today. Changed bathroom from the basement to where the spouse room is in-game. Also made it a tad bit smaller to fit in the area given. Adds the attic as well.

    * Erossavia’s Tree Happy Greenhouse by Erossavia This gave me the idea of a much larger greenhouse without the warp points of the other mods. The layout is good. I changed it to fit my requirements for the story. Worth a peek if you’re on the PC and looking for a greenhouse map replacer.

    * Karmylla’s Cellar Edits – changes look of the original cellar. Available on both the Nexus and official forums with several layouts. USED as the gift shop (shed) décor instead of cellar

    * Junimo Artifact Dig Spots by Seismothesaurus

    * Better Sprinklers by OrSpeeder

    * Linus with Clothes by Goodledoodoo

    * Automate by Pathoschild– pushes/pulls inventory from chests to machines. In story used in conjunction with Junimo Farm mod by Platonymous (currently broken)

    * Huge Shed Redux by Boldrin (uploaded by zagreboldrin)

    * Json Assets Mod by spacechase0

    * Mitzu’s Flowers (ported by) Eemiestardew

    * Eemie’s Melon & Pumpkins by Eemiestardew

    * More Trees (ported by) infectmeinjectme

    * Fruit & Veggie Mod (ported by) infectmeinjectme

    * Cerri’s Home Office by CerridwynMorgana

    * Hudson Valley Buildings by magimatica (has six different color schemes. I’m using the Fahnestock scheme for the story w/a few alterations)

    * Elle’s Junimo Hut Replacements by Junimods – From the Official Stardew Valley Forum

    * Bath House Hot Spring Mod by MiniPantsu (one of my favorite remodels for the bathhouse/spa)

    * Every Flavour Beans Machine by Xangria

    * Winter Grass by CatCattyCat

    * Faster Grass by IceGladiador and uploaded by asrdfsdvs (modified to fit the story)

    * Elle’s Barn Replacements and Elle’s Coop Replacements by Junimods – From the official forums

    * Extended Minecart by Entoarox on the official forums

    * Rented Tools by JarvieK

    * Sweet Tooth for JSAssets – by Aquilegia (uploaded by AquilegiaStardew) (Recipe names for some popsicles and ice cream desserts)

    * Hope’s Secret Springs Cave by HopeWasHere

    * Poppi’s Kawaii Valley by PoppiPan

    * Artisan Valley & Starbrew Valley by infectmeinjectme

    * Skull Cavern Elevator by Bifibi


	2. Shepard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story begins.
> 
> Enjoy.

* * *

Silence reigned on the Normandy’s crew deck. This was it, they were heading for the final battle. The galaxy’s various species rallied behind Shepard, and they were all heading toward Earth to stop the harvest of advanced sentient species by AI constructs who were billions of years old. They would stop the harvest. They would stop the Reapers from ever performing another one. Or they would all die and hope as they did so that the next cycle’s life forms could do what they couldn’t.

Shepard stood in front of the Normandy’s Memorial Wall. Her hands ran over every name. She paused for a moment on Kaidan Alenko and whispered how sorry she was that she couldn’t save both him and Ashley Williams, but someone had to remain behind and guard the bomb. The destruction of the krogan cloning facility was a priority. It cost her a friend.

Her hand once more touched the nameplates and stopped on Miranda Lawson. “Sorry about everything Miranda. Sorry you died at the Collector Base, sorry your crazy father kidnapped then killed your sister. I’m not sorry I shot the bastard though.”

Her hand moved. “Samara. You couldn’t let yourself kill your last daughter, but you acted too fast for me to stop you from taking your own life or hearing her say she had her own code she lived by. She’s still at the Monastery. She never planned on leaving it; she knows the danger of doing so. She knows how easy it would be to turn into a predator of such magnitude it would take another Justicar as powerful as you to stop her, maybe not even then. If only you had waited a few extra seconds for me to come up with a solution to your Justicar code.”

Another name touched. “Mordin Solus, our crazy singing scientist salarian. I’m sorry you died to save the krogan race. I’m sorry those damn salarians busted the only thing on Tuchanka with the ability to disperse the cure and you had to sacrifice yourself to get it working. But I’m happy you could and sent out the cure for the genophage. I’m happy you had the chance to be a part of it. Someone else could have gotten it wrong. I hope you’ve found an abundance of seashells to run tests on Mordin. I know you’ll discover everything there is to learn about them.”

Her fingertips touched two nameplates. “Legion and Tali, I miss you both. I’m happy your people found true awareness, Legion. The Prime unit kept the promise you made to the organics. The true geth not only helped the organics build the Crucible in time for the final fight, but they sent so many units to help on the battlefields of all the home planets. I just hope the other races don’t forget what it cost the geth to help them.

“Tali. Tali, I loved you like a little sister. Maybe one day you will forgive me for the decision I made. Your people, at every turn, started wars and fights with the geth, they tried to commit genocide…,” Shepard stopped, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. _I’m not going over all that crap… it doesn’t matter… there are no quarians left anymore…_

“Tali, I’m sorry you felt suicide was the answer when your people refused to listen and stand down. But the geth are people also, and just as important. It was your Admirals who decided the fate of your people. They caused the complete annihilation of the quarian race. Not me.”

Shepard took several more deep breaths then she ran a shaking hand over one last name. Thane Krios.

Shepard’s throat closed as she continued to stroke over the name. “I miss you so much, Thane. I know you’re watching what’s happening with me and the galaxy. The final battle is coming, and I’m not sure what to expect. I hope I’m up to the challenge. Tiredness is growing on me. The pain of your loss is still so fresh. I wake up and roll over hoping you’d be beside me and this whole thing was a nightmare. Only you’re not and the nightmare is real.” She leaned her forehead against the metal nameplate and felt the chill radiating from it. “I hope you’re on the shore waiting for me when I get there. I love you.”

Less than four hours later the Crucible and every available fighting ship from the many Milky Way species arrived in the Sol System and began the culmination of the fight of their lives. For their very existence.


	3. The Wizard

* * *

The flicker of candle flames and heady scents from potion ingredients filled the strange, dark, room. Books lined an entire wall, tapestries and rugs were on the walls and stone floor. A man dressed in black pants with a tunic embroidered with gold stars and moon shapes, and a long, black flowing cloak stood staring into a large, bubbling cauldron. The green liquid frothed and boiled as great plumes of sparkling lime-green fumes rose from it.

The man stroked his purple beard and mustache. “Hmm, I wonder,” he muttered as he continued to watch the scene play out in the liquid’s depths. He saw the red-haired woman at the wall of names, saw her directing others during fights. He observed as she faced down monstrosities which would make others flee. He studied her as she leaned tiredly against the side of some strange vehicle before climbing inside.

The purple-haired man took a jar off the shelf, collected a pinch of the rainbow-colored powder from inside it and tossed it into the cauldron. He could hear the woman’s voice now, and he listened as she addressed a strange mix of people wearing suits of armor.

She paced as she inspired those around her before they went into the hardest battle of their lives. They seemed to grow less weary before they raced out of the room to their assigned posts. His eyes narrowed as he saw the slight slump of her shoulders before she straightened them and put on her helmet.

He watched the battle as the gigantic creatures destroyed her world and shuddered. He gasped when he saw her hit by a thick, red beam shot from one of the beings and fall. He grabbed for several more jars and started adding pinches or spoonfuls of blue, purple, green, and pink dust into the cauldron.

He breathed a sigh of relief when the woman stirred and cleared the way toward a white beam of energy. He watched the struggle as she tried to steady herself to walk up a long ramp; he heard her weariness as she confronted the half-man half-machine being holding a gun on one of her friends. He nodded when she reasoned with him; grimaced when the man shot himself.

The mixture grew cloudy when he saw her crawl toward a podium and slap her hand around the top of it as she called out for someone named Hackett and told him she did not understand how to get the Crucible to fire. He lost sight of her in a white fog.

He took down a large wooden box and opened it. Inside were various metals, crystals, and objects. He found the glowing red crystal and before his hand grew hot from holding it; he tossed it into the mixture where it burned away the veil obscuring his vision.

His eyes narrowed again as he listened to the ghost-like apparition telling the red-haired woman about the three paths open for her to choose from. He watched her chew her lip, the indecision clear on her face. He began reaching for the jars again. He told himself it was only a precaution and better safe than sorry.

He heard her ask questions about the canisters with the red connectors on them and listened as the being told her if she chose the red path it would destroy all synthetic life, including her and the geth. They would lose their technology and the war would start again sometime in the future because organics would once again create more synthetics who would eventually go to war again.

The wizard put a pinch of sparkling green powder into a mortar and ground it even finer. Then he saw the woman look toward the blue area where electricity sparked and crackled from a pair of conductors. That choice would let the woman take control of the AI constructs. She would impose her will on them and force them to do her bidding. He frowned, he saw the folly in that. What would keep her from losing control of them if she faltered for even a split second?

He added pinches of red and white powders to the mortar.

A platform lit up with an eerie green light and he slowed his grinding as he once more listened to the explanation of the path. She would die, but her death would bring an everlasting peace because it would fuse the synthetics with the organics and bring both of them the full understanding of each other. He saw the way the child-like projection grinned as the woman looked down the path and he didn’t like it one bit.

He hurried to find a perfect emerald from the box and tossed it into the cauldron followed by a large oval-cut ruby. He dumped in the powder as he saw the woman turn toward the green light and started to limp toward it. He heard her muttering several names, then as a single tear fell from her eyelash cutting a path through the grime and blood on her face, she said, “I’m coming, Thane. I’ll be with you on Kalahira’s shores soon.” The wizard threw a heavy, rainbow-colored prismatic shard into the cauldron just as she leaped into the green light and dissolved.


	4. A Strange Shore

* * *

Shepard moaned as the bright light burned against her closed eyelids. They felt gritty like someone covered them in sand. She heard the crashing of waves, then smelled the salty tang of the sea and smiled. Then she wished she didn’t because she got sand in her mouth and started to cough and tried to spit it out.

She rolled over onto her back and took her time opening her eyes. She stared up into a crystalline blue sky. The cry of seagulls nearby caused her to frown.

They had seagulls in the drell afterlife?

She heard a quiet moan next to her and smiled thinking Thane fell asleep while he sat beside her until she could awaken.

She was still grinning as she turned her head to look at the lover she hadn’t seen in months. She froze, then scrambled to her feet because the person beside her was not her emerald-scaled, four-fingered, alien lover at all, but a human male.

The male groaned again and moved. He seemed very weak as he tried to rise to his knees and fell back to the sand. He started coughing as he got sand in his mouth and up his nose. Shepard took another step back as he once more tried to get to his feet.

“Where am I?” he murmured. The man stumbled and gasped as he held out his hands. “What’s happened to me?”

She must have made a noise because the man turned to her and stared. His emerald-green eyes blinked only once before he said, “Shepard? Siha? Is that you?”

Shepard sat down hard on the sand as she grew light-headed. “Tha — Thane? It can’t be. You’re human.”

“It’s me, Siha. Thane Krios. Ask me anything only you and I would know about.”

Shepard cleared her throat, “I once asked you where you’d like to go on a vacation. What was your answer?”

Thane blinked then his eyes glazed over, _“I hold my Siha’s smooth, pale hands in my scaled ones and she smiles._

‘_When this is all over Thane, where would you like to go on vacation?’ she asks me._

_I pause for a moment to think, then it comes to me. A place which I’ve never seen since I travel for business; Never for pleasure. I tell her I would love to see a desert.”_

“Thane,” Shepard cried as she held her arms open.

Thane dropped to his knees and held her tightly. “Shepard. I’m so happy to see you, I’ve missed you.” His lips met hers and he ravished her mouth for several long minutes. He laid her back in the sun-warmed sand as his hands stroked her body.

His lips felt strange as they slid along her jaw. She gasped as she felt him nibble her neck and push aside the collar of the shirt she wore.

She pushed at his shoulders to stop him and he looked down at her.

She stroked his head, finding the thick, dark hair growing there a bit disturbing when she was used to his smooth scaled head, and stiff cartilage ridges. “I’m happy to see you too. But it’s so strange. Why are you human instead of drell? Or why aren’t I drell if we’re on Kalahira’s shore? And why in the world are we dressed like this? Where are your leathers and my uniform or armor?”

He looked around and quickly accessed the situation. He shook his head, “Siha, I’m afraid this isn’t Kalahira’s shore at all. I’m unsure where we are or why I transformed into a human.” He turned back to her, “We are together and we’ll figure it out. First, we need to find shelter, food, and clean water.”

“Why? We’re dead. We don’t need any of that stuff.”

He chuckled as he shook his head and held her hand to his chest. She felt the steady thump of his heart and her mouth fell open in shock. “Wait… we’re alive?”

“It would seem so, Shepard. And listen,” he said as he drew her head toward his chest.

She grimaced knowing what she would hear. Thane’s lungs would crackle because of the disease destroying them. His breaths would be shallow and pained. She gasped in shock when she heard nothing but air freely moving in and out of his lungs as he took deep, calm breaths.

“How? How is this possible?”

“How is any of this possible, Siha? We don’t know, but we can investigate, or we can simply think of it as a second chance for our love and life together.” He bent to kiss her again before standing and pulling her up beside him.

“We need to find a high ground where we can get a view of the surrounding land,” she said as she turned in a circle. She pointed at a cliff off in the distance and they headed in that direction.

* * *

She pulled at the t-shirt and looked down at it, “Where in the world did these clothes come from? And why am I not bleeding everywhere? I was shot before I jumped into the green light.”

“I’m not sure what you’re speaking of, Shepard. Maybe you can tell me the story another time?”

“Why aren’t you rattled by this? Of the two of us, you should be the one questioning everything.”

He shrugged as he looked around. “I’ll ask questions once we get somewhere safe. It’s not as if I’ve never worn human clothing before. Maybe not these exact… items, but at least we have clothing and did not show up in this strange place nude.”

Thane kept them moving in the general direction of the overhang until they had to turn inland. He paused as they reached the edge of a forested area and looked up at the sky. The sun was past its zenith now and he estimated another four or five hours of light if the time here was the same as the artificial one of the Citadel. They had yet to find the necessary survival items, and he started to worry. He glanced at Shepard and frowned. She rubbed her stomach, and he noticed how pale she was.

“Shepard? When did you eat last?”

She shrugged. “I don’t even know how long I was out or how long it took to get us… here.”

He tightened his grip on her hand; he had to find them food and water. He faced the wooded area, and they made their way in. They walked for what seemed like hours before he heard the gentle rushing of running water and turned toward it. They crouched down and watched as a fish jumped in the stream. A four-legged animal hesitantly lowered its horned head to the stream to drink. When the creature left, Thane turned toward Shepard and saw her kneeling beside him with a look of shock on her face.

“Siha? What is it?” he whispered.

“I-I think that was a deer. An honest to god deer from Earth.”

“So you think that’s where we are? Some remote place on Earth?”

She blinked and lines appeared on her brow, “First the sound of seagulls, now deer, and these trees. They look like ones I’ve seen vids of. Pine, oak,” she touched the one next to them, “and maple trees. I think we are on Earth. But it smells clean here and there’s no sound of skycars, no towering skyscrapers. We aren’t in the jungle. I’m not sure of all the places these trees and deer are located… but the North American continent had all of these hundreds of years ago; if I remember my history lessons right.”

Thane hummed and turned toward the stream, “Come, Siha. We need water to keep from dehydrating. The deer did not seem to be affected, and I see no dead animals by the water. There’s no trash floating in it.”

They paused by the swiftly moving water as both of them looked at the clear stream. Shepard held out her arm and shook it expecting her omni tool to light up so she could scan the water for contaminates. “Shit. It’s not working.” She ran fingers over the area where the implant in her arm was, “What the hell? It’s not here.”

Thane reached for her arm and ran his fingers along her forearm, then tucked her hair behind her ear before touching the small hollow behind it. “Your translator is gone too.” She tapped behind her ear expecting to hear the tiny click of her communications implant activate. When it didn’t, she shook her head.

“I don’t get this. Without translators how are we able to communicate? You’re probably speaking your native language; I know I am. Yet, we can understand each other.”

Thane’s full lips turned down into a frown as he thought. “Nothing is making much sense at the moment, Shepard. But we have other needs to take care of before we sit and try to work all this out.”

She nodded, and they looked back at the stream.

“Let me drink first, Siha.”

She shook her head. “No. We do it together. If one of us gets sick so does the other. We aren’t leaving each other alone here.”

He hesitated then nodded.

The water was cold, free from the smell of rot or decay. No strange odor of pollution. Thane took a small sip from his palm. Shepard did the same, and they looked at each other. The water tasted fresh and clean. Cleaner than any they had; Even on the Citadel. They waited and when their stomachs didn’t cramp or try to regurgitate the water they scooped up more and drank their fill.

“We need to move. If we can make it to the overhang before nightfall we’ll be able to get a clearer picture of where we are, and maybe spot a town or at least a home,” Thane said as Shepard nodded.

They moved deeper in the woods and Thane paused when he heard Shepard’s stomach growl. “Siha? What was that noise?”

“Sorry. It’s my stomach. I’m kinda hungry, and when a human gets hungry their bodies let them know by making noises. Yours will too, I guess.”

His lips pressed firmer together, and they continued to walk. After another hour Shepard spotted something a short distance away and pulled him to a halt. She pointed to a small, furry creature nibbling at the leaves of a flower.

“Rabbit,” she whispered. “Foragers. The plant it’s eating is a dandelion. It’s one of Earth’s edible flower species. The Citadel’s Salad Soiree restaurant had it on their menu as part of its Earth specialties.”

Thane glanced her way then back at the creature. “You want this dandelion plant?”

“Just the leaves. It won’t be filling, but it’s something.”

The rabbit must have heard them because it stopped chewing and bounded away into the undergrowth. They moved over and she pointed out the plants. They gathered as many leaves from the small crop of plants as they could and washed them in the same stream they followed.

Thane grimaced as he ate the greens. Shepard shrugged, “They taste better with a vinegar dressing.”

“If you say so, Shepard.”

Thane glanced at the sky, “It is getting late and we must adjust our course or we will miss the overhang.” They drank again before setting out.

An hour later, she pulled him to a stop again. “Now what, Shepard?”

“I… uh, I have to take a pee.”

“Well, do so. These clothes will filter and evaporate it, won’t they?”

Shepard scratched her head, “Uh no, these are regular clothes, not armors. We must use the bathroom like we did at the hotels or cabin, not in battle.”

“There are no facilities.”

She chuckled. “At least you’re a male. You can whip it out, pee, give it a shake and tuck it back in. I must figure out a way to wiggle out of my pants, pee without getting them wet, and get back in them again.”

“Whip it out?”

She snorted, “You’ll see.”

They went behind separate trees and Thane heard her grunting before she sighed.

‘_What did she mean by whip it out?’_ Thane thought as he unzipped the heavy denim pants. He blinked when a soft, fleshy appendage flopped out of the opening. “What in the Goddess's name?”

She started laughing. “Welcome to being a human male, Thane. Your dick is external and you pee through it.”

“I do what?”

* * *

The air grew cooler as the sun lowered on the horizon. Thane shifted their path again without stopping. After another thirty minutes, they burst through the tree line and found themselves next to a dirt path.

“This looks promising. A path like this usually means traffic, and traffic means people or a town nearby,” Shepard said.

They followed the dirt track up the cliff and stood at the top. Shepard squinted and looked into the air as she heard the sharp cry of a bird.

“Siha, there. I think it’s a town,” Thane said. She gazed in the direction he pointed.

A sprawling town lay in the distance. The last rays of the sun reflected off tall glass or metal buildings and tiny spots of light appeared as the sun sank below the horizon.

“That’s a long distance to walk without food and water. Not to mention a tent or something to sleep in, Thane.”

“I know, Shepard, but we have little choice.”

They both sighed and turned to follow the same path down when Thane grabbed her by the elbow to stop her. “Siha, past those trees to the west.”

Shepard paused and squinted. Then she noticed what he had. A small smattering of lights in the distance. They were scattered and only a handful was lit in a small area, but lights meant a town or people.

“A village or small town maybe,” she said.

“My thought as well. It’s much closer, too.”

They hurried down the winding path as the sounds of night insects began. The path led them to a paved road and once again Shepard stopped. “I think they called this asphalt. We used it hundreds of years ago before humans had skycars.”

“Everything is pointing to being on Earth, Siha. Maybe the gods favored us.”

“Or maybe this is some weird hallucination of mine brought on by indoctrination. Or my brain is making this all up as I lay bleeding out.”

“That’s a possibility as well and would explain me transforming into a human. Had you wished for me to be something other than a drell? Does my outer appearance match a male you desired?”

Shepard shook her head, “No, none of that. I loved everything about you, Thane. From your crown ridge to your ribbing, to your emerald-colored, scaled, four-toed feet. Your attitude, your calmness, your love of philosophy and poetry. The way you saved the last piece of chocolate for me. I didn’t wish for you to be anyone or any species other than what you were.”

They kept following the road, stumbling a few times in the dark. Thane slowed down and gazed up at the sky again. “Siha, we’re going too far south. The village was to the west if we’re not careful we’ll miss it completely.”

“A damn GPS would be nice. What do you suggest?”

“We have to go through the woods.”

“At night? Without a light? We can trip and break something, step in a hole, fall off a cliff.”

Thane reached up to rub his head and grimaced when his hand touched his hair instead of scales, “This will take some getting use too, Siha. How do you stand it?”

“I was born with it. It’s second nature and normal for me.”

They both looked up when they heard a noise in the night and it kept growing louder. Whatever it was seemed to be coming toward them. A bright light shone from a vehicle as it came roaring around a bend in the road.

Shepard began frantically waving her hands above her head. “A motorcycle? Could it really be an ancient motorcycle?” she shouted at Thane.

The vehicle slowed down and Shepard yelled, “Help! Can you help us?”

The motorcycle came to a halt near enough for them to see a long-haired man controlled it. “What are you doing way out here?” the man yelled above the roar of the bike.

Shepard lowered her hands and cupped them around her mouth, “Our car and all of our stuff got stolen when we stopped to uh… you know... in the woods. Where’s the closest town?”

“Car-jacked? Seriously?”

“We’ve been walking all day and got lost when we went into the woods.”

The man looked them over and pointed behind him, “Stick to the road. It’s going to be a long walk, but it’ll take you to Pelican Town.”

“How long of a walk? We’ve not had anything to eat since this morning.”

The man turned off the bike. “It’s a couple of hours by car. You won’t make it on foot until dawn; at least.” He stared at them when the woman buried her face into the male’s shoulder.

“Shh, it’ll be okay. We’ll make it. He said to stay with the road.”

“Thane, we have no food, no water, no shelter, no credits to pay for anything. Just how are we going to make it?”

“We’ve been in tight situations before, Shepard.”

Neither one noticed the man pull out a cell phone from his back pocket. “Hey mom, listen… I know it’s late but… no… I’m fine. But… yes, I know it’s past dinner… I don’t give a f… Sorry, Mom. This is important. I was taking a ride when I found two people by the side of the road. They say they got car-jacked and they’re in rough shape. I think they need help. They’re about two hours outside of town off North Road. A man and a woman. They don’t have any coats or Gs. It sounds like they haven’t eaten at all today. Yeah, I’ll wait here. Okay, I’ll tell them. Thanks, Mom.”

The man shut off his phone and stuffed it back in his pocket before pulling out a pack of cigarettes and lighter from his coat. “My mom is coming with her truck, she will give you a ride into town. There’s no hotel, but she said you guys can stay in an abandoned farmhouse she knows of for the night. She’ll call the Mayor and let him know what’s going on. You’ll need to go talk to him in the morning anyway to fill out a crime report if he’s even got a form for it. Crime near the shit hole of Pelican Town?”

“We’re not from around here. We were looking at places in the larger town and decided to take a ride to see what else was around here, and that’s where it happened. We don’t even know how far we are from there.”

“Zuzu City? Yeah, that makes at least some sense. I live in Pelican Town. It’s small, boring, and dying. I can’t wait to get out of there and move to the city,” he said as he lit the cigarette.

Thane took several steps away from him and moved away from the smoke.

“Sorry, he had lung issues for most of his life, and has just now got to the point where it doesn’t hurt him to breathe.”

“Oh, sorry Dude.”

“It is of no consequence. I will not ask you to stop your enjoyment of the item.”

The man raised his eyebrow and Shepard said Thane wasn’t from this part of the country.

“He’s not from Gotoro Empire is he?”

Shepard shook her head. “No, neither one of us are.”

“I’m Sebastian. It shouldn’t be too much longer before a ride gets here.”

Sebastian put out his cigarette and reached for his phone again. He started texting the news to his friends as Thane and Shepard watched him.

Thane gave Shepard a slight tug, and they stepped a bit further away. “Siha, what is he doing?” Thane whispered.

“I–I think that’s an early model comm device. I saw him speaking into it earlier, and now I think he’s sending pings or mail. He was smoking a cigarette, too. This is Earth, Thane. But not the Earth I know.”

They both turned toward the man when he gave a piercing whistle. He waved at another vehicle coming toward them. It was a large truck with a combustion engine, and a bunch of logs loaded into the open back.

“Oh, Thane… I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore,” Shepard whispered as the truck came to a halt and a woman climbed down from inside.


	5. Welcome to Stardew Valley

* * *

The woman introduced herself as Robin Cline. “Sebby? Everything alright?”

“Yeah, except my ride got cut short. I better get home and get back to work,” Sebastian said as he nodded at the others before starting his bike and roaring off back toward town.

“Don’t mind him, he gets like that sometimes.”

Thane smiled, “I believe all children of similar age do. My son included.”

“You have a son? Is here too?”

Shepard shook her head, “No, he lives elsewhere. We’re trying to find a different home as well, too many bad memories from the sta… city we lived on… in.” Shepard cleared her throat.

“I see,” Robin said with a hint of skepticism in her voice.

“Sebby said you were victims of theft?”

“We didn’t know how far from a town we were and had to go terribly bad. We stopped to,” Shepard pointed over her shoulder toward the woods, “and when we came back everything vanished. All of our stuff... gone.”

“Oh, that’s horrible. Well come with me, my daughter boxed up some food from tonight’s dinner for you and I’ve got some blankets in the truck.”

The vehicle made its way back toward town as both Shepard and Thane ate. Shepard tried not to inhale the food after she smelled the delicious aroma from it. Thane whispered a short prayer before he started eating.

“This is delectable, Mrs. Cline. Please accept our gratitude for providing a meal.”

Robin took her eyes off the road for a second to look at the man. “You’re welcome. It’s nothing special, just plain ‘ole crab cakes, coleslaw, and toast. There’s some iced tea in the silver thermos for you.”

“This is wonderful, Ma’am. I’ve had nothing that tasted like this before,” Shepard said after she swallowed a bite of the crab cake.

“Nor have I,” Thane added as he bit into the toast.

Robin glanced over at the two strangers before turning her full attention to the road in front of her.

“We’re coming up on the town now. It will get bumpy since the road leading to the abandoned farmhouse isn’t paved.”

Shepard and Thane looked out the windshield of the truck and watched as Robin slowed down even more as she entered a tunnel. “I really wish the Mayor would get someone to fix these lights. It can be a problem during tourist season when people come to the beach and festivals.”

After they exited the tunnel Robin turned a sharp right out of a parking area almost hitting a bus sitting in the middle of the road. “Ugh, I forgot Pam left the bus sitting there.” She eased the truck past the bus and continued down the dirt road, making another sharp right onto an even bumpier path. “This road leads to the farm. If you follow it back toward the way we came and keep going straight, it leads to the town center. There are no outdoor lights along here so you have to be careful if you go walking around at night. Well, that is, if you’re thinking about staying a few days to look around the town.”

“We’d like too. Without a vehicle or cred… money we will not get very far. So might as well stick around to see if we can help out. Repay you and your son for helping us.”

Thane nodded in agreement.

A half-hour later the truck pulled into the valley. The truck’s headlights showed a run-down shack with a rusted mailbox nailed to a crooked post in front of it.

“Well, it doesn’t look like much. The mayor has me check it every few seasons in case someone responds to the Real Estate ad he posted to sell the place. No one has for the last thirty years. I’ve got to tell you though, there’s no indoor plumbing, no furnace for heat, the windows are warped shut, and there’s no electricity. But I’ve made sure the roof doesn’t leak, and the floorboards are sound. There is a fireplace, and a few logs in the woodshed that’s probably been there since old man Hollander died three decades back. It won’t be comfortable, but it’ll keep you dry and safe at least. Welcome to Stardew Valley.”

They climbed from the truck and Robin grabbed a large basket and broom from the back. “Follow me; watch your footing on the stairs.”

Robin shone her flashlight at the door and wiggled the doorknob before pushing it open with her shoulder. It squealed with disuse. She swiped at a few cobwebs hanging from the door frame before walking in.

“Well. Let’s get some of this dust, dirt, and cobwebs cleared out for you. Since you’re planning on staying a few days I’ll stop by in the morning to oil those door hinges.”

Robin left a short time later after she explained the basket contained two sleeping bags, pillows, and a few blankets. She whispered to Shepard there was a roll of toilet paper, a paper bag with some feminine products, and hand sanitizer at the bottom.

Thane made them a bed out of the items in the corner farthest from the door as Shepard went out to go to the bathroom again. When they settled into their makeshift bed, he started to kiss her before she stopped him.

“What is wrong, Siha? Do you not feel for me as you once did?”

“I do. It… it’s just that... Well, you feel different. I can’t help thinking I’m cheating on Thane with a human.”

He chuckled. “I see. I am still Thane, even though I have a different appearance. Know that I love you, Shepard. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Thane.”

Shepard wiggled around trying to get comfortable.

“Shepard?”

“Yes?”

“What did you mean when you said we weren’t in Kansas anymore? We never visited a planet or station by that name.”

Shepard started laughing and gave him a very short explanation of a character in a book living on a farm in a place called Kansas, and being swept up in a tornado to land in a strange, new world.

* * *

Sunlight streamed through the window and the sound of birds outside woke them. They stepped outside to go around the back of the woodshed to take care of their bodily needs before sitting on the porch steps. They could see areas of overgrown fields and trees growing close together. “There’s so many trees and rocks around here. How did someone on their own take care of this place?”

The rumbling noise of a car motor grew louder, and they stood. Robin waved at them from behind the wheel of a different truck. A dark-skinned male sat beside her.

“Good morning. I brought some breakfast for you. The Mayor let me borrow his delivery truck to help get you to town and show you around the valley. I’ll oil those hinges while you eat. This is my husband, Demetrius. He’ll test the water in the well to see if it’s still safe since it hasn’t been tested for years.”

Shepard and Thane introduced themselves before sitting back down to eat. When she was sure that both of them were out of earshot, Shepard leaned closer to Thane to whisper, “I think this is real food. Not the stuff from protein vats or synthesizers.”

“That would explain the difference in the taste. Do you think they grow their own here?”

Shepard shrugged. “Robin called this a farm. So it’s possible.”

A few minutes later Robin and Demetrius joined them.

“Thank you once again for a delightful meal,” Thane said as he stood and handed the repacked basket to Robin.

Robin blushed and nodded, “No trouble, I’m glad you liked it. The hinges no longer squeak, and Demetrius tells me the well water is safe to drink.”

“I’ll drop off a new bucket and change out the old rope. Keep the cover on the well if you’re not drawing water. You don’t want debris or animals falling in there and fouling it.”

“Acknowledged,” Shepard said then blushed when both of them stared at her.

“She means, we understand and thank you for the information.”

“Well, let me show you around town and the outlying areas. We must stop to see Mayor Lewis first, though.”

Robin drove the truck toward town and pointed out the shortcut up to the old community center then parked outside a building with a sign saying, “Pelican Town Clinic.”

“This is the medical clinic. Our daughter, Maru, works inside. The Doctor’s name is Harvey. He should check you both out to make sure you picked nothing up from drinking the stream water. We’ll tell him what happened and he won’t charge you for the visit. That’s the way he is.”

They entered the building and a young woman with the same red hair as Robin looked up and smiled at them. “Welcome to Pelican Town.”

Robin introduced them and Maru smiled and said, “I’ll go tell Doctor Harvey you’re here.”

A brown-haired man entered the room shortly after. He wore a green jacket, brown pants, a striped button-down shirt with a brown tie and a pair of glasses. “Welcome to Pelican Town. I heard you had some trouble. Robin said you both drank from a stream in the woods?”

“Yes, Sir. We also ate a handful of dandelion leaves when we were hungry. We washed them in the same stream.”

Harvey frowned, “Oh dear, that sounds like a bad day. Well, if you wouldn’t mind, I’ll take a bit of blood and do a quick checkup to make sure you didn’t pick up any bacteria. I’ll give you each a small elixir to drink just in case.”

Thane insisted he be first. Shepard frowned at him, “Trust me, Siha. I’ll be out shortly.” He stared at her and she narrowed her eyes and nodded.

Shepard paced the waiting area and monitored the clock. Twenty minutes later Thane walked through the door with a smiling, chatting Doctor.

“Well, you’re in excellent health Mr. Krios. Keep doing whatever it is you do to keep in such fine shape. If you have any breathing trouble, feel free to come see me. Your lungs are strong and clear, and your blood work came back clean of any bacterial infections. You can have a seat while I give your wife a checkup.”

Thane kissed Shepard’s cheek and smiled down at her. She now understood why he wanted to go first. It eased her tension of it not being a trap but that his lungs were healthy and they were indeed alive. She did, however, raise one red eyebrow at him when the Doctor referred to her as his wife.

After Shepard’s checkup, they said goodbye to them both, and they followed Robin through the center of town and past a few other buildings. She opened a gate on a white picket fence and knocked on the front door of the house.

“Mayor Lewis, this is Thane and Shepard Krios. They are the ones I told you about last night.”

Shepard blinked and Thane tightened the grip he had on her hand.

“Well, welcome to Pelican Town. Robin told me you were victims of a car-jacking and lost all your belongings.”

“Yes, Sir. We’re not sure how far out of town it happened. We cut through woods and walked through the day until her son found us along the road.”

Lewis tch’d, “Well, it sounds like it might have been pretty far outside of town limits then, closer to Zuzu City.”

Thane nodded and told him the story they came up with about looking for a new home in Zuzu City and how they came to be outside of town.

“Oh my. Well, I’m relieved Sebastian found you when he did. Goodness only knows what might have happened had you tried to find the town by going through those woods at night. Robin tells me you’re thinking about staying around town for a few days?”

“Yes. Without a vehicle or any currency, we do not have the means of moving on. We would also like to repay Robin and her family for the help they gave us,” Thane said.

“Well, that’s quite neighborly of you. Tell you what, have a look around town, meet the folks, and stop back to see me before you head on back to the old farmhouse.”

* * *

Robin showed them the General Store and introduced them to the owner, Pierre, and his family. An elderly couple and their grandson, Alex, were shopping in the grocery section and they stopped for a few minutes to talk to them. They eventually met everyone else in the main part of town and saw the library, blacksmith, and a large glass and metal building with a flashy sign saying, “JojaMart” on it.

Robin frowned, “I don’t like the place. The manager seems shady to me. He comes into Pierre’s store and offers customers coupons to leave Pierre’s and shop at the Mart.”

“Sounds unethical,” Shepard said and Robin nodded in agreement.

“He hires all the kids to work there and pressures them to have their parents shop there. We’ve lost a lot of small, local businesses over the years because of them and their shoddy, cheap goods. If they ever start selling furniture, they may put me out of business too.”

“You make furniture?” Thane asked.

“Yep, I’m the town carpenter. I make furniture, fix up homes, repair fences and remove trees and shrubs. I sell wood and stone as well for those fix-it themselves types.”

“Interesting. It has been my experience the hand-made items are of higher quality than those usually found in stores selling items from a mass manufacturer.”

Robin smiled at Thane, “Indeed. The shortcuts and poor quality goods they used to make the items all lowers the overall quality of the finished product. My goods may cost more, but they’ll last much longer. I build them to pass down through generations.”

They stopped at the Carpenter’s store, which was also the Cline family home, and Robin fixed them lunch. Shepard washed the dishes and Thane dried as their thanks for another meal.

Robin parked the Mayor’s truck in its usual spot near the side of his house and waved to them as she headed back toward her own home.

Thane knocked on the door and they followed the Mayor inside. They took a seat on the couch he indicated.

“Well, how did you like our fair town?”

“I thought it was wonderful. Everyone we met was very nice to us.”

Thane nodded his agreement. “The library intrigued me, I am sorry to hear of some of your tomes missing and losing your artifacts.”

Lewis leaned back in the armchair he sat on and laced his fingers, “Indeed, Gunther keeps hoping someone finds and returns the books. As far as finding the items, we do not hold out any hope of their recovery.”

After a few minutes of small talk, Lewis told them why he wanted them to stop back and see him.

“As Robin no doubt told you, I’ve had the farm up for sale for quite a long time. Hollander died with no living relatives so it became a piece of town property. Unfortunately, with the valley being so far from the major cities and their attractions it has been impossible to find a serious buyer in the last thirty-odd years. Even the Real Estate ads haven’t generated interest. So, here is what I am offering.

“You seem a good couple; polite, clean and you genuinely want to help Robin out as payment for her kindness to you. You didn’t run off in the early hours, taking Robin’s stuff with you. And you even got Sebastian to say over five words to you.

“It’s my understanding you came out this way looking for a new home, I assume also a new life to go with it. Robin mentioned you had bad memories of your previous home, so I’m offering you the farm. Now, it’s not free. You must pay for it. But, it’ll give you a roof over your heads, and a way to earn Gs. You won’t have to worry about buying a car and hoping no one steals it again.”

Shepard and Thane stared at the older man in shock. “You’re… you’re offering us a house?”

“I am. But it comes with a few strings attached. You’ll need to sign an agreement form which states you’ll work the land, make improvements to both the land and home, and pay off the home within three years. You’ll also be responsible for the seasonal taxes on the property and income, also the electricity for the farm when you get it wired properly. Since you have a well, you won’t need to pay for water usage. Well, unless you run a sprinkler system with a pipeline to the town. If you have Robin or Clint, the blacksmith, build you the piping system they’ll add the meter to the town’s source automatically. I base the taxes and fees on usage per season.”

“Three years? We haven’t any money or a way to make it. We know nothing about farming.”

Lewis held up a finger and walked over to a shelf full of books. He pulled several down and carried them back.

“These are kinda old, and probably outdated, but they’ll help you get started. Guides on farming, fishing, mining, forestry, and a valley forager’s handbook.” He set them on the table then went to open a drawer in his desk.

“This one belonged to Hollander. It’s his own crafting book. He was a crazy inventor who used odd items to build useful things. Take the books back to the farm and read them over, talk to each other about the offer, then come back and see me in the morning with your answer.”

“Not to be rude, Sir, what are you asking for the home? We must take that into account as we discuss your proposition,” Thane said.

Lewis smiled and nodded. “I’m asking 10,000 Gs for the home and the farm property. It includes all the area from the entrance into the farm to the cliff in the West, and up to the paths on the North and South part of the farm. A simpler way to put it is, the entire section of the valley.”

They blinked at him and then at each other. “Ten thousand, Sir? Surely that amount of land is worth more than you’re asking.”

Lewis shrugged. “It’s only worth it if someone’s willing to pay it, and after thirty-odd years no one’s even put a decent offer on it.”

Lewis showed them to the door, “Oh wait a moment,” he said and opened a small door. It was a coat closet stuffed with coats, hats, boots and a jumble of other items. He dug around and pulled out a battered backpack and a pair of battery-powered lanterns. “Here you go. You can carry those books in here, there're hoops to hang those lanterns on and...” He dug around in a box on the shelf and pulled out a couple of odd-shaped tubes. “Here are a few spare batteries. Be careful on your way back to the farm. I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow morning.” He smiled and waved at them as they opened the gate to leave.

* * *

When they returned to the farmhouse they sat outside and looked over the books. Thane’s eyes moved quickly over the words absorbing every detail with his eidetic memory for later use.

As the sun got closer to setting, they took a walk along the area near the house; where it wasn’t blocked by tall grass, boulders, and trees.

“Shepard, I thought I saw the light glinting off something up ahead.”

“Maybe another building? Who knows? There’s the path to the north the Mayor told us of. And it looks like a cave next to it.”

Thane fiddled with the lantern until he found the button to turn it on then held it up as they looked inside the cave. “There doesn’t seem to be any wildlife living inside here at least,” he said.

“One good thing I suppose. Let’s finish checking this area out and then talk about it.”

They stood looking out over as much of the farm area as they could see from a spot next to a small pond.

“Well, I guess we can clear the area to grow our own food in and try to find work in town in-between getting this place in order?”

Thane frowned. “Possibly, though the book on foraging mentioned there are items which grow only in the valley and surrounding area which sell for a good sum of credits, or Gs as they call it here. According to the calendar I saw in Doctor Harvey’s exam room, we are in the spring season. So that means...” He paused as he brought up the memory from the book. “Wild horseradish, daffodils, dandelions, leeks, and spring onions all grow this season. Mid-season is when something called salmonberries ripens on the bushes.”

“Okay, but what’s the likelihood that we would find enough stuff to even make enough Gs to buy food with? Let alone what the books said we needed to clear the land and start farming.”

Thane laced his fingers behind his back and turned back toward the farmhouse. “I do not know, Siha. But even a handful of Gs is more than we have at this moment.”

They were sitting on the porch with the books laid out between them when they heard someone calling out to them. “Hey. Are you guys Thane and Shepard?”

“Yes, that’s us,” Shepard said.

“Hi, I’m Emily. I work at the Stardrop Saloon. The owner, Gus, asked me to deliver this to you since you probably didn’t know about the saloon in town. We aren’t open in the mornings.”

The blue-haired woman smiled as she handed Shepard a large, flat box.

“Thank you, but we don’t have any money to pay for it.”

Emily waved a hand and continued to smile. “It’s on the house. Mayor Lewis told all of us at the saloon about the new people in town and what happened. Gus wanted to make sure you had something to eat tonight. Enjoy the pizza. It’s plain cheese. I hope neither of you is allergic to wheat or dairy or are against dairy products?”

“A pizza? A real cheese pizza?” Shepard said and held the box up to her nose. “No, we don’t mind dairy food. Thank you so much.”

“I’m glad you like it. Here are some napkins and paper plates. Gus added two disposable cups when the Mayor mentioned you had nothing to eat or drink from.”

“We thank you, please tell your employer we are most grateful for his generosity.”

Emily smiled at the rather polite man and nodded, “Well, back to work. Enjoy the pizza.”

* * *

They lay on the bedrolls and stared up at the ceiling of the farmhouse.

“Well? What do you think? Should we take the offer? Or try to make some Gs to get to that Zuzu City place and find an actual job there, since I don’t think this is a hallucination of mine and we seem to be stuck here.” Shepard asked.

Thane was quiet for a long time. “I believe it brought us to this particular area for a reason. I think if they meant us to go to Zuzu City we would have arrived closer to there than to this smaller town and been found by someone else. My skill set is very limited. I doubt I will find work as an assassin in this sort of world. I made peace with myself and asked for forgiveness for the sins of my past. This is a fresh start, a chance for me to do something good in my life and not be a tool of death. I wish to stay here; on this farm with you and learn to nurture life.”

Shepard rolled over and moved closer, she wrapped an arm around him and held him tightly. “Then first thing in the morning we’ll go see Mayor Lewis and sign the agreement.”


	6. Serenity Gardens

* * *

On the walk toward town, Thane spotted several dandelions growing in a small plot of land near the path leading to the parking area. “Let me gather these plants. From a note scribbled in Hollander’s journal, he said the owners of the general store will purchase certain items if it’s not shipped. Let us find out, shall we?”

Shepard waited while he loosened the soil around the plant with his hands and pulled it up. After shaking off the loose dirt he handed it to her and started on the next one. As soon as he had them all dug up, they started walking again.

Pierre looked up as the two entered the store. “Good morning, how are you both today?”

“We are doing well, and you?” Thane replied.

“Good, good. What brings you to the store?”

“According to a journal lent to us from Mayor Lewis, the General Goods store makes purchases and sales.”

“That’s true. I buy produce, foraged edibles, seeds, and flowers.”

“I see. We found these dandelion plants and the foraging manual lent to us said they were part of the Spring forage list. Do you purchase these?”

Pierre nodded at Thane. “I sure do. Let me see here.” He counted the plants, checked them over and pulled out a small calculator from under the counter.

“Each of these is of standard quality, and you’ve got four of them… so that’s 160Gs if you’re interested.”

“Yes, please and thank you.”

Pierre smiled and gathered up the dandelions before counting out the Gs from his cash drawer. “There you go, and if you’re ever in need of seeds or farming products stop on by. We also carry a wide range of grocery items for sale. If you sign up for my rewards program, you’ll get a rebate at the end of each season. The more you spend at Pierre’s the larger the rebate.” Thane and Shepard stared at the stack of paper Pierre laid on the counter.

They nodded to Pierre with another round of thanks then left the store. Thane folded the paper money and tucked it into the front pocket of his pants.

“One hundred and sixty credits for four dandelions? That’s outrageous. I wonder how much he buys those other items for? At this rate maybe we can pull off paying for the property in under three years,” Shepard said as they walked toward the Mayor’s house.

“Indeed. But we also have to take into account the purchase of our food, items to cook with, more clothing, furniture, upgrades to the property and tools.”

“True. But still… it was more than what I expected.”

Thane nodded his agreement as he knocked on the Mayor’s door.

Lewis smiled as he held the door open wider, “Come in, come in. Good morning to you both.”

They wished him a good morning and followed him into a different room. It turned out to be the dining room and the smells of food cooking caused Shepard’s stomach to growl.

“You’re just in time for breakfast. Sit down, let’s eat then you can tell me what you’ve decided.”

After they cleared everything away, they told Lewis they would take the offer.

“Splendid. I hoped you would. Let me get the paperwork.”

Thane read over the documents and asked questions about what would make up improvements to the home and land.

“As far as the land, clear the debris, turn the fallow fields into food-producing areas. It’s my hope you can produce enough to sell to the markets as well. Anything else you forage, mine, or fish from the valley is an additional income for you. As far as the home goes. Robin offers home upgrade plans. I suggest you get her to wire the house for electricity first, and we’ll count it as a partial improvement to the home. Just make the shack into a cozy house of any size, and you’ll meet the requirements. You should talk to her to see what else she recommends so you can start planning.”

Thane nodded and went back to reading the document. “There doesn’t seem to be a payment schedule.”

“Just pay what you can, when you can. I’ll keep a logbook and we’ll both initial it when you make a payment. So if you need a bit of extra Gs to purchase the new season’s seeds you won’t have to worry about trying to come up with the payment right away.”

Thane nodded. “I suppose I should inform you I have what they call an eidetic memory. I can remember everything I hear, see, feel, taste, and smell. You won’t have to worry about us “forgetting” to pay or what we’ve discussed concerning the needed improvements.”

“Well. Isn’t that something? I’ve never heard of someone being able to do that before. Must be handy.”

“It is a blessing most of the time; a curse at others.”

Lewis hummed in understanding.

Thane handed the documents to Shepard who read them over as quickly as she could; knowing full well she’d forget most of it by the end of the day. She nodded, and all three signed.

“Wonderful. Let me set up the logbook before you go. Do you have a name picked out for your new home?”

“We do indeed.”

Lewis clicked the button on his ball-point pen and on the first page of the book wrote: _Payment log for the purchase of the farm known as..._

“Alright, what is the name of your farm?”

“Serenity Gardens.”

“Lovely,” Mayor Lewis said as he smiled at them both.

_Payment log for the purchase of the farm known as Serenity Gardens between Mayor Lewis and Mr. & Mrs. Thane and Shepard Krios. Starting balance: 10,000Gs for the property in its entirety listed on the agreement documents._

The Mayor signed it as did Thane and Shepard. They sat quietly as Lewis filled out a stack of papers in duplicate then signed them where he indicated.

“Okay, you’re all set. Here’s your copy of the paperwork, and I’ll put the town’s copy in the safe along with this journal. I’ll file the business name with the Ferngill Republic and Pelican Town Tax Offices. Why don’t you go see Robin while I set up your shipping bin and fix your mailbox. Anything you put inside the bin I’ll pick up before six in the morning and place your earnings from the day before into a small locking cash-box attached to the shipping bin. Any news announcements we don’t want you to miss, I’ll place into your mailbox until you can get electricity and hooked into the town’s internet. Sebastian runs the town’s website and we post all the notices there. I can’t tell you how happy I am that you decided to stay. So many young people want to leave. The farm deserves someone who’ll stay and take good care of it. I know it can be prosperous. I can feel it in my bones that you two will make it one of the best farms around.”

On the way to the Carpenter’s Shop, they gathered a few more items Thane recognized from the forager’s handbook.

Demetrius stood outside watering some flowers growing next to the front door when he heard them approach. “Good morning. Robin hoped she’d see you both today, go on in she’s at the carpenter’s desk.”

“Hey, you two. Lewis just called me with the news, congratulations. I hoped you guys would take his offer. It’ll be good to have new people around. I put together this upgrade and building list last night, just in case. The small star symbols beside some names are things I think should be a priority. Not just for comfort, but also to make sure you can make it through winter with only a fireplace for warmth.”

“Thanks again,” Shepard said as she glanced over the piece of paper Robin handed her.

“Where would we find some of these items? Wood, cloth, clay, copper? What’s hardwood? Battery packs?”

“You can find stuff like wood, stone, coal, fiber, and clay by clearing your farm. Hardwood is a special wood that takes a powerful axe to cut. The cloth you can either make once you get some sheep or rabbits and can shear them then use a loom or sometimes you can find soggy newspapers and use the recycling center to turn the trash into useful items.”

“Where’s the recycling center?” Thane asked as he hadn’t noticed a building in town with that name.

“Next to the old community center. There’s a couple of recycling machines inside a fenced-off area and a trash can there for anything which can’t be recycled. Anyone can use them.”

“Thanks, Robin. We’ll let you know the minute we have enough cred… money to get the place wired for power.”

“Sounds good. Let me know if you need anything.”

They took the mountain path Demetrius pointed out to them leading back to their farm. They found more forageable items along the way. By the time they made it back to the farm their arms were full of daffodils, dandelions, and horseradish roots.

Thane nodded toward a new wooden crate sitting next to the house. “That must be the shipping bin Mayor Lewis told us of.” He opened the top and noticed it was more spacious than what he originally assumed.

“Hmm, curious. The box does not look all that large from the outside, yet all the things we gathered fit inside and barely took up any room,” he said.

“Yeah. There’s a bunch of odd things in this world.”

Thane shut the lid, and they went inside their new home. A basket sat on the floor near their sleeping bags and another pack with several tools piled up near it.

“What’s that stuff doing here?” Shepard asked and Thane went over to look.

“According to this note, they’re gifts from Demetrius and Mayor Lewis. It says the tools are free since they’re old and Demetrius doesn’t need them anymore. He’s patched them up and they should work well, but as soon as we can do so we should upgrade them with Clint at the Blacksmith’s shop. Mayor Lewis said since we’re a couple and will probably work the farm together, he gave us another backpack and enough seeds of something called parsnips to start our first small plot and make some Gs. He says good luck and the key to the cash box is inside the basket. Robin added a footnote which says we can eat the parsnips raw by peeling the rough skin off and cutting the greenery off the top.”

“Parsnips? What the hell are parsnips?”

Thane shrugged. “I have yet to read the book on farming. Perhaps I should do so now. What is in the basket?”

Shepard opened the top and looked inside. “There are some food items and the key. A paper bag with Parsnip Seeds written on it. Another bag with… they look like ration bars. They gave us a calendar with some dates circled on it and a map of the area. A hard bar labeled soap, two towels, and washcloths. A pair of toothbrushes and a tube of toothpaste. Some razors which I think are for you to shave with since there’s also a can of men’s shaving cream. I think this is a radio? Wait… there’s also a book and a pencil.”

She opened the book. “Shepard and Thane, Hollander always said it was a good thing to write how your day went before you go to sleep. He kept a daily journal for almost his entire life without missing a single day’s entry. I thought you’d like to do the same. Lewis.”

“That’s thoughtful. They’ve helped us a lot already.”

“That they have, Siha. I wonder how many people from the Citadel would go out of their way to help those in need. What exactly is a radio? And how do I shave?”

Shepard snorted. “We both know the answer to that Thane. They wouldn’t even lift a finger to help fight a war to save their lives unless I helped them first. They offered nothing for the sake of helping our crew and saving others. A radio is what humans used a long time ago to play music and hear the news. And shaving for a man is usually the removal of facial hair using a razor. Joker didn’t shave and grew a beard, Zaeed shaved so his face was smooth… sort of, at least it was hairless.”

Thane went quiet for a moment. “Perhaps you’re right. I think it’s time for me to read the book on farming to see what we need to do and if there is anything we can prepare in advance to save time. The sooner we get those parsnips planted the sooner we can harvest them.” He scratched at his chin and cheek and felt a prickly sensation on his fingertips, he supposed the hair he was to remove had grown.

She nodded as she unloaded all the books from one pack. Shepard handed him the one for farming while she fiddled with the buttons on the radio and found a channel.

“Thanks for tuning in to the Pelican Town News station, where it’s news every day at twelve and six. This is Harvey and we’ve got some exciting news today. For those who may not have yet heard, Pelican Town has two new residents. Thane and Shepard Krios took over the farm in Stardew Valley. They have christened the farm _Serenity Gardens_. The pair were involved in a carjacking earlier this week and lost all of their belongings. For those planning on traveling to Zuzu City stay alert and stay safe. If you see the couple around town, make sure to give them a warm Pelican Town welcome.

“In other news, Joja Corp has yet to remove the boulder blocking the entrance into the Pelican Town Mine and the Adventurer’s Guild north of town. Their new estimated date of completion is three more days. As you may recall they caused a landslide during blasting of a different area. The resulting explosion loosened a large boulder from the cliff. When it fell, it blocked the bridge to the mine and quarry area.

“Robin passed on a special message. ‘The same blasting incident which blocked the mine last year also caused a cave-in at the entrance to the Railroad Station and Spa Bath. I want to remind everyone that until further notice both places are closed.’

“Marnie of Marnie’s Ranch is having a special sale on last year’s chickens. She has plenty of white hens and a few of her special black and orange ones left. If you’re looking to expand your flock or start a new one, make sure to see Marnie at her ranch in Cindersap Forest south of the farmlands. Just follow the signs.

“Don’t forget our yearly Egg Festival happens every 13th of Spring in the Town Center. Gus reminds you to bring your appetite, he’s serving free egg dishes during the length of the festival.

“Now for tomorrow’s weather. It looks like it will be another beautiful day in Pelican Town. Spring is in the air.

“Speaking of Spring, Pierre wants to remind all you farmers or family growers that he stocks his store with the best seeds around. Be sure to stop in and don’t forget to check out his market stall when it’s open during the festivals for special items only available during those times.

“That’s all the news for now. Tune in again at six.”

* * *

“I did not realize produce grew so fast, Shepard.”

“What do you mean?”

“According to this book, parsnips take only four days to grow and be ready to harvest once they are planted and watered. We must keep them watered daily.”

“Hard to believe anything that’s not synthetic or from a cloning lab can grow in four days.”

“I suppose we shall find out. For now, I will follow the book’s advice on how to clear and plant a section of the field near the pond.”

Shepard followed him outside, and after consulting with the guidebook on the usage of the tools, he chopped branches with an axe while she slammed a pickaxe into several small rocks. Working together they got two sections cleared in a 3x3 grid like the Farmer’s Guide and Planting Almanac recommended.

“That wasn’t too bad. We’re short a few packs of seeds though.”

“I’ll run into town and purchase them. I hope the Gs we have will cover the cost.”

While Thane went into town, Shepard kept working to destroy the rocks and move the still usable pieces off to the side. She was sitting on the porch drinking a cup of water from the well when he returned.

“I purchased more parsnip seeds along with eight packets of a flower Pierre called Tulip. They grow at the same rate. I thought while I prepared the land in the morning you can gather the funds we receive from the cash box and purchase one more packet. Then we set aside the rest of the Gs to put toward the first improvement and additional clothing.”

Shepard nodded and stretched. “It’s getting late, I wish we had some way to heat water, but I guess a cold water wash is better than nothing.”

Thane carried a bucket of water from the pond to behind the house. Shepard quickly stripped off her clothes and washed as he leaned against the house and groaned with arousal as he watched her. When it was his turn to wash, she studied him. His body was as hard-muscled and lean as it had been when he was a drell, yet his beautiful emerald-coloring and darker green stripes were gone, replaced by tanned skin and black hair with thin, silvery strands along the top and sides of his head. As she looked closer, she realized those silvery areas were in the exact places his crown ridges and above his cheek frills were. She mentioned it to him and he cocked his head at her then said he supposed it would be a reminder of his previous form for her at least. She nodded as her eyes continued to take in his new body. She raised an eyebrow when she saw, even with chilly water, he grew hard under her gaze. Drell or human, he was impressive.


	7. Farm Life Begins

* * *

Shepard hated not having an actual plan of action when she tackled a project. The whole war thing turned into a giant cluster fuck because no one would listen, so there had been no clear plans of attack or defense.

The next morning when Thane woke he saw her sitting on the floor in front of the window with the town map spread out in front of her, one of the remaining napkins from the Saloon, and a pencil lying beside it.

“What is the plan for today?”

“Not just for today, but this season. I’m glad you’re awake. Grab one of those crunchy bar things; they’re not too bad and have a seat. I need to know the dates and times the business we’ve been to are open so I can fine-tune this.”

He sat and repeated the information she wanted as he ate the field bar.

“There, it might need some more tweaking as we go, but this should keep us on track,” she said as she showed him the napkin.

“So we take care of what we have planted, we each spend one hour clearing what we can. Sounds good. The foraging sections are a bit lopsided though. You have me taking care of not only Cindersap Forest but the Ocean and over half the town. While you do the mountains and the small area where the community center is.”

Shepard’s eyebrow quirked. “Delegation of duties is part of being a Commander.”

“Shepard...”

“Oh, all right. What do you suggest?”

After he pulled the map toward himself, he studied it for a moment. “You take the mountain, community center, and the area above the blacksmith’s shop. I’ll take the Ocean, the lower part of town, and this section from the library up to the blacksmith. We meet back here on the farm and unload our findings. Then we begin clearing the way down to the southern exit. We both work to forage all of Cindersap Forest. It’s a very large area.”

“Okay. Now the big question is, how will we carry everything? Those packs aren’t all that large.”

“I meant to tell you something I learned from Pierre yesterday but seeing you bathe pushed it to the back of my mind. Pierre told me the packs were special and not your ordinary backpacks. Inside each pack, there’s a series of zippers. Once those are opened the pack fully expands. The old packs the Mayor gave us have a total of twelve zippers to open. The pockets hold a single item, but as you add more of the same item, it will stack into the same pocket. Each pocket holds 99 of the same item. With very few exceptions where one item takes up the entire pocket.”

Shepard stared at him then snorted before she started laughing so hard she curled herself up in a ball and held her stomach.

“What is so funny, Siha?”

“Pierre was joking. He had to have been. Come on, we didn’t even have something like that back in our own time and place.”

“Hmm. Do you think he would tell me such an outlandish lie?”

Shepard lay on her back as her laughter calmed. “I think he would do it as a friendly joke on the new people. I don’t think he would do it to be cruel.”

Thane sat and stared at the map for a moment. “Well, there is only one way to find out, wouldn’t you agree? We have quite a few stones and wood pieces outside from clearing the small area. Why don’t we go test it, we have to water the plants anyway.”

They grabbed up both packs and went outside. They took turns watering the seeds they already planted, then as Thane examined the inside of his pack Shepard unlocked the cash box and pulled out a stack of paper Gs tied with a piece of twine. There was a note attached to it.

“Lewis paid us. He said we did well for our first day and wants to meet us at the community center at one o’clock this afternoon. We don’t have a way to tell time here, Thane.”

Thane had his head halfway inside the backpack and mumbled something that sounded like _ ask Pierre _.

“Ah-ha, now I see,” he said as he withdrew his head from the bag. “There are very tiny zippers here. I was looking for ones like on our pants. There are twelve of them, Siha.”

She stopped and stared at him while rubbing her chin. She watched him reach into his bag and the faint sound of zippers opening reached her ears. Thane crouched down in front of the large pile of stones and lifted one; measuring its weight, before dropping it into the bag. “That was rather odd.”

“What was odd? I couldn’t see anything.”

He looked up at her, “Pick up one of the rocks and watch closely as you drop it into the bag.”

She did as he told her. “What the fuck? Instead of dropping into the bottom, the fricken rock shrank, swerved and dropped into a pocket. Magnets in the stone? Iron in the stones?”

Thane picked up a piece of wood and dropped it. It shrunk and swerved into a different pocket. “No… no, I don’t think so.”

Shepard grabbed a firewood-size piece of wood and Thane spread the top of the pack open wider. She gasped as she dropped the much larger piece of wood into the pack and watched it shrink then zoom into the pocket.

“Siha, I do believe Pierre told me the truth.”

“Shut up, Thane.”

* * *

Shepard entered Pierre’s store and several new people greeted her. She smiled, nodded her head in returned greeting, and moved to the counter.

“Good morning. What can I help you with today?”

Shepard laid out the flower she found on the way to the store. “Will you buy this?”

“Sure, I buy daffodils of this quality for 30G each. Do you need to purchase anything?”

She nodded, told him she wanted a packet of tulip seeds, and then asked if he had something which would tell them the time.

He paused a moment, “Do you mean a clock for your wall? Or an alarm clock for a nightstand?”

Shepard blushed, “Something portable?”

He stared at her for a moment. _ Did she not know about watches or clock functions on a cell phone? _

Pierre cleared his throat, “I suppose with the car-jacking they took your cell phones as well?”

“Um… yes?” she said with a tone of confusion in her voice.

He glanced around the store and saw the others had left without purchasing anything, then turned his gaze back to her.

“You have no idea what I’m talking about do you?” he asked in a hushed voice. Louder than a whisper, but still quiet enough that his wife, Caroline, wouldn’t hear him.

She started to deny it then clamped her mouth shut. “No, Sir. I don’t. Thane and I aren’t from around here. We have never seen many of these things before. Like the bags and so forth. I recognized Sebastian’s motorcycle and know the vehicles you have are powered by combustion engines. The only reason that I know this is from reading about them in history classes in school.”

“History?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“I-- I can’t honestly say I believe you, but some of the questions Thane asked, and the way you both reacted to the pile of Gs I gave you yesterday makes a bit more sense if you don’t know about them. As does your stumbling over some of the words when you both talk to us.”

“It is understandable, Sir. We cannot believe some of the things we’ve heard and seen as well.” Shepard pointed to a bin with a sign reading Potatoes For Sale. “Like those potatoes, we had no idea they were so large.” The potatoes in question were so big she would need to carry one with both hands.

Pierre nodded, his head shaking a bit, “Do you need anything else?”

“We need clothing and a way to clean the ones we have. Normally, we would use an autowash or a decon system, but I doubt you have those or even know what they are. We don’t even know how we came about having these. They are not what we normally wear.”

“That’s an easy enough thing to order. When you go home check inside the clothing. Usually, there’s a tag with the size on it. Like a small, medium, or large. Just bring me those sizes and I’ll order you a few sets of sturdy work clothing, it’ll be here with my next shipment from Joja Corp. Now, you guys need cell phones. They are a necessity. If you get hurt or lost, you need a way to call us. Give me a second.”

Pierre picked up the device sitting on the counter and pushed several of the numbers. Shepard heard a ringing sound coming from it.

“Sebastian? It’s Pierre. Are you still an authorized dealer for Zuzu City Wireless? … Good. Thane and Shepard need cell phones and lines. Theirs were stolen along with their car. They weren’t local numbers, I’ve already called their original company and canceled their service. Basic ones would probably be good for now. Unlimited calling, texting, a clock function, and a basic camera. Maybe add some chat apps and any others you think would help them run their farm. You can do that? Refurbished would be even better if you’re sure they’ll last. Oh, you did it yourself? Then I’m sure they’ll work perfectly and if they’re free that’s even better. I’ll let them know the seasonal cost. Thanks, Sebastian. Tell your family hello from me.”

“Well,” Pierre said as he hung up. “Sebastian happened to have several cellphones for sale. Since he’s the only dealer in the area he can cut people good deals on refurbished models. He’ll bring two phones, a solar charger, and the operation manual to your farm after he gets your numbers set up. He’s adding you to the Pelican Town’s business line directory so you don’t have to worry about coming up with the Gs as a security deposit or credit check fee. It will cost you twenty Gs per season, though. When you get them, bring them to the store and I’ll program in the emergency numbers, and some of the other ones you should have if he doesn’t do it for you.”

He came out from behind the counter and motioned for her to follow him. In the back corner of the store sat several large steel wash tubs, old fashion scrubbing boards, and shelves of laundry powder, clotheslines, pins, and laundry bags. He pulled out a tub, put several items into it and carried it back to the counter. He quickly wrote down how to use them to wash their clothes and pulled out his calculator.

“Other than the one pack of tulips did you want any more seeds?”

She blushed as she pulled the wad of Gs from her pocket. “I… don’t know?”

He counted out the money and added up the cost of everything she needed. “You still have 250Gs after subtracting the washing stuff and the seed packet.”

“I’ll hold onto the rest of the cred… Gs until I talk to Thane.”

Pierre nodded and added the seed pack to the tub then handed her back the rest of the money.

* * *

Shepard called out for Thane as she entered the small shack. He rushed over to take the large tub from her with a questioning look on his face.

Sebastian was there already. “Hey. I was just explaining how to use these. Thane said he hadn’t had one of these model phones before.”

She nodded as she dipped the plastic cup into a bucket of water.

Sebastian finished his explanation and demonstration then added his business number into the phones. “Just hook them up to the solar charger when you’re not using them. The moonlight is usually strong enough to recharge the battery. Thane already paid the fees for this season’s service so you’re all set. See ya."

* * *

Thane waited until he heard the roar of the motorcycle before turning to Shepard. She told him everything Pierre said, and that he knew they were not locals in any sense of the word.

After they followed Pierre’s instructions on how to string up the clothesline they hurried toward the community center.

“There you both are. I completely forgot about you not having cell phones. Sebastian called to tell me he added the farm on the town’s business account.” Lewis said.

He pointed to the run-down building in front of him. There were several broken windows, weeds grew in profusion around the area, and the paint was peeling from the door and the sign above it. “This is the community center, what’s left of it. It used to be a gathering area for kids and families. Now it’s a falling down building. I’ve got an offer to sell the place to Joja Corp, but I’m reluctant to do so. It’s a piece of Pelican Town history. But, just like the valley, no one is interested in coming here. The kids want to sit in front of their computers and play games all day, everyone is too busy to come out and get together outside of festival days. I don’t know how much longer I can hold out.”

“Where we used to live, we lost so much of our history. Buildings, monuments, records, everything gone in an instant. Thane’s ancestors lost even more; they lost their entire plan… town from mismanagement of the land and water. If you can find a way to hold onto even a sliver of this town’s history you should.”

Lewis sighed. “Well since we’re standing here, might as well check inside to see the damage.”

Thane helped Lewis to push the door open and they went inside. The only light came from the broken windows.

“We used to have craft rooms, a pantry people would donate to for those less fortunate to have food. We had a display with fish which could only be caught in the waters around the area. Now it’s all gone,” Lewis said with despair in his voice. “Someone even broke into the place to use it as a garbage pile,” he said as he pointed to the corner. He turned away to skirt around a hole in the floor to go check down one of the hallways and didn’t notice neither Shepard or Thane followed him. They were too busy staring at the green bouncing ball that came out of the pile in the corner and bounced its way down a different corridor before disappearing into a room.

“Thane? Did you just see...”

“Shepard? Did you notice...”

They both whispered at the same time then turned to look at each other with shock on their faces.

“What.. what the hell was that thing?” Shepard whispered.

“You mean you don’t know? Are they not an Earth creature?”

“I don’t know every creature from Earth’s history. What I do know is I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

“Such a shame, even the safe in the office is falling apart,” Lewis said as he entered the room again.

“Sir? Mayor Lewis, something just came out of the pile and went into the room down the hallway,” Shepard said.

“Something from the pile you say? Probably a rat. I’ll make sure the younger kids know not to come in here anymore. If you catch the rat let me know and I’ll reward you for it.” Lewis picked his way around another hole in the floor and opened the door again. “If you’d like to look around I’ll leave the building unlocked, just be careful in here.”

Shepard waited until Lewis walked away from the doorway before turning toward the hallway. “That was no fucking rat. I know rats, and they aren’t green nor do they bounce like a ball or wave tiny, spindly arms at you. Come on, Thane. Let’s go see what that thing was and if we can catch it.”

They both crouched down and inched their way down the hallway. Thane tested each step for give in the wood which might make a sound before placing his full weight on it. He surveyed the room the green ball entered and shook his head. “It’s not in there.”

When they both entered the room they saw broken chairs, spilled paint which dried on the floorboards and wallpaper coming down in long sheets off the walls.

They heard something behind them which sounded like “sproing” and turned to see a yellow ball bouncing into the room carrying a square-shaped object in a pair of spindly arms.

“That is so strange,” Thane said calmly as if seeing a bouncing yellow ball carrying something was anything but weird.

The ball bounced and dropped the plate near them then disappeared again.

Thane crouched down and picked up the object and showed it to Shepard. It was full of gibberish and she shrugged. “I can’t read it? You?”

“No, Siha. This is not a language I’m fluent in.” He placed the plate back on the floor in the exact spot the ball had. “We need to leave this place, Siha. The day is growing short and we need to collect items for sale. And… I’m sorry to say this, but your clothes, as well as the ones I’m wearing, are rank. It does us no good to wash our bodies if we place unclean clothes back on afterward.”

The time on Thane’s phone read 3 PM by the time they made it back to the farm. As Thane placed foraged goods into the shipping bin, Shepard hooked their phones to the charger and carried the washing stuff out onto the porch. She rushed back inside, removed her dirty clothes, wrapped the towel around herself, and grabbed the radio.

Thane growled and bent down to kiss her as he went to pick up the steel tub. “Mm, Siha. That may be too tempting for me.”

She chuckled and adjusted the way the towel was tucked between her breasts. He groaned before turning and hurrying toward the pond. A few minutes later he found her kneeling on the porch with the radio playing a lively tune as she read the instructions from Pierre.

Her jaw dropped as Thane stripped down in front of her and dropped his clothes on the porch. His cock was hard and throbbing. “My desire for you hasn’t waned, Siha. Not even when I lay in the hospital bed unable to do more than cough and let solipsism take over did my desire for you lessen.”

“Thane, I...”

He stroked her hair, “I know, Siha. One day. For now, let me go get the towel wrapped around me so I make you less uncomfortable.”

After a rough start with trying to figure out how to gently scrub their clothes on the board, they finished the laundry and hung it up on the clothesline.

Shepard made sure to tuck the scrap piece of napkin in her pack with their clothing sizes on it to give to Pierre the next day. They wrote their day’s adventure, achievements, and thoughts down before turning off their portable lanterns and crawling into bed.


	8. Goin' Fishing

* * *

Shepard still slept as Thane woke and eased his way out from where she had thrown her arm and leg over him. She may not be ready to resume their sexual relationship while she was awake, but she slept snuggled against him as she had when he was drell.

He gathered their dry clothes and laid out the ration bars for them to eat. A quick trip to the well for fresh water, then he softly called her name.

When she entered the small shack after using the privacy bucket out back, she heard the radio playing the news.

“Good morning, Pelican Town. This is Maru with your morning news. A grand re-opening of the Bait Shop happens today. Our resident fisherman, Willy, returned from his latest adventure to once again open the shop. He tells us he’s well stocked with bait and offers sturdy bamboo poles for the beginner fishermen. His shop sells other items, such as crab pots for those of us who don’t know how to bait a hook, tackle for those more experienced fisherfolk, and will stock better poles soon. Don’t forget, Willy also buys fish and shells. His motto is, ‘If it smells it sells.’

“The bus line to the Calico Desert remains closed until they make repairs. Pam states the bus can’t move and anyone that needs to use the road is out of luck unless they can get around the damn bus.” Maru cleared her throat. “Her words, not mine, Mom.”

“Today’s weather will be bright and sunny with a light breeze. Tomorrow’s outlook calls for rain.

“And once again here’s Stardew Valley’s own Madam Welwick with your fortune for today.” Maru sounded less than pleased to have to announce a fortune teller.

“Thank you, Maru. Today I see… The spirits feel neutral today. The day is in your hands.”

“Thank you, Madam Welwick for that insightful fortune. Well, that’s all for this morning’s news. Doctor Harvey will give this afternoon’s update at 12, tune in then.”

* * *

They grabbed their packs and went to work. Shepard opened the cash box and removed the money from inside. She noticed a blue flag raised on their mailbox and reached inside.

“New neighbors,

My name is Willy and I don’t know if you’ve heard of me or listen to the local news station, but I’m opening the local bait shop again. Mayor Lewis told me of your misfortunes and your quick need to earn Gs. The fastest way to do that is to either mine, which is still blocked, or fish.

Come see me at the beach today before 5 PM and I’ll see what I can do to help you out. Welcome to the valley.

Willy”

“Thane, that Willy guy from the news wants to see us today.”

Thane raised a hand to let her know he heard her before bringing the axe down on a thick branch which appeared between their two small plots sometime in the middle of the night.

“There’s another letter here. The envelope is purple and well… sparkles. It smells weird too.” Shepard read over the strange letter and snorted.

Thane glanced up at her.

“The writer says he’s a wizard and wants to see us today before 11 PM. He says he knows about the so-called rat problem in the community center and may be able to help.”

“What is a wizard?” Thane asked as he handed her the watering can.

“A delusional guy who thinks he can do magic. Not like a stage magician but ‘real’ magic.” Shepard air-quoted the word real with her index fingers while trying to hold on to the letters and can.

Thane cocked his head, still not understanding what she meant.

“While we’re in town, we should also stop in to see Pierre. His store is closed tomorrow so we should stock up what we can.”

Shepard nodded at Thane and bent down to refill their small watering can.

* * *

Pierre smiled as they walked into the store. “Welcome, what can I help you with today?”

Shepard pushed the wadded up napkin over to him and he smoothed it out to read before he nodded. “I can do this. Give me a moment and I’ll get your total. I’ll also set up your phones with the emergency numbers we spoke of before, and get you an app which will help with note taking, because wadded up napkins just won’t cut it,” he said as he laughed.

After giving them the total for the new clothes, they purchased several packets of cheap herbs to grow in small pots on the porch. A packet each of basil, parsley, chives, and oregano was added to the paper bag. Thane became rather excited when he saw a small drawer labeled ‘Tea Seeds” near the top of the enormous seed drawer system Pierre had.

“We don’t get many people wanting to grow those as they aren’t a large money maker. But they will grow from Spring until Winter. They produce several leaves every few days which you can dry to use. Robin sells the drying rack for them, if she doesn’t already have one in stock she can probably make you one before the plants are ready.”

Thane eagerly nodded and added nine packets to the pile.

“Thane… really? An entire plot of tea?”

“Yes, Siha. I miss a fresh cup of tea in the morning and again at night.”

Thane turned toward Pierre, “Do you know of an Earth plant which has...” he grunted when Shepard elbowed him.

He turned back to Pierre to see his eyebrows raised almost to his hairline and his eyes widen behind his glasses.

“I beg your pardon. I meant, do you know of a plant with a cool, tingly taste that’s also slightly sweet? And one able to impart a bit of spicy heat to the tea without being overpowering or changing the overall taste of the tea?”

Pierre continued to stare at Thane for a moment before clearing his throat. “... Earth plant? I-I don’t even want to go there, do I?”

Shepard shook her head no and Pierre took off his glasses to clean them before slipping them back on. “We have a plant called mint that might work for the cool tasting one. Ginger may give you what you’re looking for with the other one. Neither of which grows this time of year. You can try adding some honey into your tea to sweeten it. Uh… you know about honey?”

Thane nodded. “Yes. Although, I rarely used it as the cost of importing it to Kahje or the Citadel from Earth raised the prices up beyond...”

“Thane!” Shepard hissed.

Thane clamped his lips shut and wondered if his transformation into a human did something to his mind as he kept “forgetting” they were no longer in their own time or space.

Pierre scratched the back of his neck. “Honey is a simple enough item to get. We have little of it here, most of us live in town and don’t have room for the hives.” He moved out around the counter and toward the grocery area. There was a single remaining jar of wild honey on the shelves and he sighed. “This is the last of it. I suppose I can try placing an order with JojaMart for more, but the quality is bad.”

Thane looked at Shepard then at Pierre when he set the jar on the counter. “So honey would be a welcome addition to your store? You would purchase this from us if we set up… hives?”

Pierre nodded. “Yes. Not only would honey make you more Gs but it would be a welcome addition. The hives produce steadily from Spring until the first of Winter. You don’t have to replace the hives every year, so once you get them up you won’t have to build them again.” He leaned on the counter and lowered his voice a bit. “Wild honey is the only honey offered by JojaMart and it’s not that great. The honey comes from everywhere and there’s no guarantee you’d get the same flavor from jar to jar. If you’d place hives and produce honey we’d get the same flavors year-round. Even better if you’d grow a few flowers close enough to the hives to let the bees collect their pollen to flavor the honey with. You’ve already got tulips planted. If you put up a hive or two right next to them you’d get honey flavored by the tulips. You could sell it for more. I’d buy it for...” he rubbed his jaw, “one hundred and sixty Gs per jar. More for other flavors. Also keep in mind, as you become more experienced in the whole process your honey will become refined and even artisan quality which will increase the sale price exponentially.”

“How much are those hives and the equipment going to cost us?” Shepard asked.

Thane pulled out Hollander’s crafting book and flipped through several pages until he found the one he was looking for. “It won’t cost us Gs if we can gather all of this, Siha. Hollander left us blueprints and directions for making them. Although the materials and steps are rather… odd.”

“Why? What does it ask for?”

“Wood, coal, iron bar, and… maple syrup?”

Pierre blinked and reached for the book. “That is odd. I knew Hollander built all of his own machines and they worked, so I doubt he’d make something like this up if it didn’t. Wood you probably know how to get already. Clint would be able to tell you where to get the coal and iron bars. But maple syrup? Check with Robin. You can purchase the jars from me for a reasonable price. If you look at the blueprints, there’s a side note of how to build the sterilizer unit for the jars.”

Thane nodded, “Hollander says the hive’s helpers will fill the jars and seal them for ease of pick up. Helpers?”

Pierre shrugged. “There’s no mention of helpers in the plans.”

Shepard shook her head, “All of this is going to have to wait. We have necessities to get first. Like clothing and electricity. Not to mention some way to make food. Those ration bars are all right, but we’re running out.”

Pierre frowned, opened a drawer behind him, then rooted around for a moment before he pulled out a square box and placed it on the counter. “This is a fire-starter kit. They’re not used much anymore and I’ve had this one for years. Inside is a piece of flint and steel along with a few other things to start a fire in that old fireplace of yours or at a campfire. Down at the beach is a firepit area we use during the summer luau, you can use it to roast some fresh-caught fish on or even wrap potatoes, corn, or yams in foil to cook. You can build your own campfire at the farm too, not only to cook on but to give you a bit of light out there when you’re working late.”

“This would help, thanks Pierre.”

The shopkeeper smiled and nodded then packed everything up while they counted out the Gs to pay for their order.

They waved bye as they left and headed toward the beach area. Lewis called out his greetings as they walked near his home. Two small children ran past them followed by a red-haired young woman who stopped to introduce herself as Penny and let them know she tutored young children. She shoved a long hank of hair from her face before saying a hurried goodbye then ran after the kids.

Sebastian looked up and nodded at them as they called out a greeting. The spiky-haired blonde standing next to him raised a hand from whatever he held and gave a wave before going back to it.

After they combed the beach for anything they could pick up, they went up the stairs leading to the dock and the store. This was the first time on the pier for either of them and Thane stopped to stare out over the blue waters of the ocean.

“This reminds me of the Encompassing on Kahje. Endless water. But the sky is clear and the water calm,” he said as he hesitated a moment then drew in a deep breath. “No pain.”

“Do you remember anything about where you were before we woke up here?”

Thane looked down at her as the breeze blew his shoulder length hair back from his face. “Yes. I was waiting on the shore for you. It was warm and dry. The sun shone, much like here. The only sound was the lapping of the waves against the sand. The air smelled of warm sand, green grass, and salt. There was no odor of seaweed or fish there. No sound of birds or other animals. No sound of people talking or laughing. It was… peaceful, restful. As I meditated and waited, I began to smell something out of place. A burning smell, hot and acrid; like metal heating to a very high temperature. I remember the smell of things I couldn’t put a name to. Then a heaviness came over me, a feeling of despair at first, then panic. I found I couldn’t open my eyes. Flashes of color shone in my mind, then a painful tugging sensation surrounded my heart and mind. Weightlessness then just before everything went dark, a rainbow of colors filled me. I do not know how much time passed before I woke up on that beach and felt strange; weak, my joints painful. Scents flooded me as I woke, but they weren’t as sharp. A human’s olfactory senses aren’t as refined as a drell’s. My body felt different. I held out my hands and saw skin and more fingers than I should have.

“I sensed someone nearby, and I turned. You were there, and everything else was pushed to the back of my mind. All I could see was my Siha before me.” He looked back toward the sea and she shifted a bit on her feet.

“I remember everything from before. The war, the death and the smell of rotting corpses and old blood. The Reapers wiped out Thessia. The asari hid a beacon there. They were using it to siphon knowledge here and there to remain at the top of the food chain, so to speak. When the Reapers attacked them, they finally told me of it. The beacon held the key to the Crucible and what the Catalyst was. They waited too long and Cerberus found out about it or maybe the Reapers told the Illusive Man about it since he was indoctrinated by then. They attacked, it was that damn Kai Leng again. We fought, and he used a gunship to keep us away from him. When the temple’s structure weakened, and the floor fell out from below us he moved in and took the VI holding the information we needed.”

Thane’s jaw muscles flexed when he heard the name of the assassin. He was responsible for Thane’s early death. The remembered pain of the sword entering his stomach made his entire body clench up.

“We tracked him down. Fought through so much shit and learned just how far the Illusive Man fell. What he did to both humans and non-humans was horrendous.”

Her lips ghosted into a smile for a second. “Mordin cured the genophage before he died. He sacrificed himself to save the entire krogan race.”

Thane hummed as he looked out over the sea. “That sounds like something Mordin would do. I know he regretted his part in continuing the application of the plague on the krogan.” Shepard nodded.

She gazed up at him then back to the water and watched as a seagull swooped down and landed on the water. “A lot of things happened. We tracked down Leng. He was hiding out on one of the Illusive Man’s space stations. The crew decimated the station, and we collected so much Intel on what was going on and what the Illusive Man thought he was doing. I fought Leng, and I killed him. Stabbed the bastard in the stomach and watched him die at my feet. We learned the Catalyst was the Citadel. The Reapers built it to lure the sentient life forms into a sense of ease. That’s why it was a law about not touching the keepers. They were there to maintain the station for the Reapers all along.”

She paused for a moment.

“When we attacked the Illusive Man’s base, the Reapers attacked the Citadel again. They took it and transported it to the Sol System. They locked down the arms and killed or captured so many people.”

Thane stiffened. “Kolyat?”

“I don’t know, Thane. If he remained on Kahje after taking your body back there for your funeral rites then he’s probably safe. That is if what I learned was true. The automated defenses were strong enough to keep Kahje protected. The Reapers wouldn’t have bothered with your homeworld more than to just destroy it with blasts from space as they went past. The last I heard the shielding and weaponry was holding them off. If I stopped the Reapers in time, there was a good chance the entire planet survived intact.”

“What do you mean?”

Shepard laced her fingers behind her. “At the end, after I fought my way to the beam connecting Earth to the Citadel; the Reapers used it to transport thousands of humans to be processed on the station through it, I found myself in front of a holographic being. It took the shape of a child I saw killed on Earth before I escaped. The “child” gave me several options. One to destroy the Reapers and synthetic life. It said it would only be temporary. Another one would be to control them. The Illusive Man’s solution to the problem, control the Reapers and use them; but what would stop me from becoming corrupted as the years, decades, millennia went by? The final option was a synthesis, combining both organic and synthetic into a final form that supposedly would allow everyone to live in peace and permanently stop the harvest.

“None of the choices were ideal. All of them flawed in some way, all of them morally ambiguous. I was running out of time. My body bleeding out, my thought processes slowing as I died.”

“What did you choose?”

“I chose synthesis. Even though I knew I played god and did what the Reapers always tried to do. Combining the two, changing who all of us fundamentally were. I dove into the greenish glow of the light and felt myself dissolve into nothingness. Then I woke up on the beach. I thought I made it to you. Well, that was until I heard seagulls. I wondered if there were gulls in the drell afterlife.” She chuckled. “I freaked out when I thought you were beside me as heard a groan. Instead of my emerald lover, a human male lay beside me.”

Thane laughed. “This entire situation is quite a shock to both of us. Though, I can’t be too upset about it. We are together. I’m healthy. You’re whole and healthy. We have a chance at a life of peace. Something neither one of us know anything about. A new adventure, a new land.”

Shepard hummed, and they turned when they heard the sound of a door opening.

A man wearing blue jeans and a plaid flannel shirt walked out of a shop on the pier. He took off his hat and scratched his head before putting the cap back on and reaching down for a bucket and pole.

“He must be Willy,” Thane said.

They approached the older man and introduced themselves.

“Aye, I’m Willy. Glad to meet you both. Lewis told me what happened. Hard to believe crime could be so close to us here in this peaceful hamlet. The shop isn’t officially open yet, I’m stocking up my fish for sale now.” He sat his pole next to his bucket and waved them toward the shop. “Let’s go inside, I’ve got something in there which might help the two of you.”

When they were inside the small shop Willy rattled around in a chest behind the counter and pulled out a fishing pole.

“This here is an old pole of mine. Made of good bamboo. It won’t let you catch any big fish, but it’s mighty fine at helping you get the smaller ones. I’ve only got the one pole, mind you, but I’ll have more for sale when the shipment comes in. This one here is for you, no charge, as a welcome gift.”

Thane and Shepard looked at each other. “Um,” Shepard said, “neither one of us knows how to fish.”

“Oh. Well, let’s go back outside, and I’ll show you everything you need to know. Since this is a basic rod I won’t go into the details of adding tackle. Although, I’ll show you how to use bait.”

Over the next hour, Willy showed them how to cast the line and when to reel it in. He laughed when Shepard stumbled back and almost fell on her bottom as the line snapped and the fish got away. After he stopped laughing and Thane stopped smirking, Willy explained the fish had certain movement characteristics and how to gauge when to reel it in and when not to. It took them another half hour of Shepard and Thane taking turns before they each caught something. Willy nodded at them from the next section of the pier where he stood with an almost full bucket of fish.

Willy took pity on them when they held the fish in their hands with a lost look on what to do with them after that. He showed them how to clean them then went with them to the luau pit. He took their fire-starter kit and explained it. He left them happily eating the two fish they caught after showing them how to tell when the fish were finished roasting in the green leaves he wrapped them in.


	9. Off To See The Wizard

* * *

Thane and Shepard made their way through the Cindersap forest stopping to collect items as they went and found a lake in the center with a pier on it. A woman stood at the end and she introduced herself as Leah.

“I live across from Marnie’s ranch. I’m an artist and sculptor. I rarely leave my studio.”

They spoke with her a few minutes before she pointed them in the direction of the creepy tower on the edge of the forest.

Shepard shook her head as they stood outside the vine-covered stone tower. “This loon is taking the whole wizard thing too far.”

Thane pushed on the door and it squeaked on its hinges as it swung open. The darkened interior held several candles flickering in holders along the wall and on a few tables. A large cauldron sat bubbling off to one side, a noxious-looking green cloud hovered over it.

From one corner near a huge stack of books, a man wearing dark clothes with bright purple hair stepped into the meager light. “Ah, welcome. I hoped you would respond to my letter. It is good to meet you both in person. I know much about you, Commander Shepard, though I know little of your once drell companion.”

Shepard’s mouth opened in shock as she stared at the man.

“The change in your appearance was necessary Mr. Krios, your prior appearance would have caused panic with the villagers. I’m so pleased the spell worked to bring you both here and in such good shape,” he said as he moved past them and over to a table next to the cauldron. “Although, you ended up further away from the village than what I originally estimated. I must try to figure out what went wrong in my calculations.”

“What the hell is going on here? How in the goddess's name do you know about us? Just who the hell are you?” Shepard growled at the man.

He turned and gave a slight bow, “I am M. Rasmodius, Wizard of Stardew Valley, at your service. I know of you because when I used a scrying spell to try locating a person with the ability to help this valley; it showed me you.”

Shepard’s lips pursed, and she snorted. “Bullshit, you must have overheard Thane and I talking.”

Thane stepped forward and shook his head, “I don’t believe he could have known about us that way, Shepard. We never once mentioned you by the name of Commander Shepard, nor did we ever say anything about me no longer being a drell. There is another reason this person knows about all of this.”

The man grunted. “I know because I watched some of your war. I saw Shepard’s battles with those… creatures. I saw her standing in front of some type of wall with names listed on it. And I saw her speaking to a ghost-like child. When I saw her determination and heard she would perish no matter what she did, I began the spell work to bring her here, and your soul as well, Thane, so she would not be alone.”

“Impossible,” Shepard sneered. “You heard us talking at the beach earlier. That’s how you know about all this.”

Rasmodius sighed, “After they forced you to shoot your Admiral Anderson, you spoke to the Illusive Man, at that point he was as much a machine as he was human. Indoctrinated, I believe is what your Admiral said. After you spoke to the man, he shot himself. You and Anderson watched for a few moments as the Reapers continued to destroy all the ships above your Earth until Anderson died. Then someone named Hackett called you and you responded by saying you didn’t know how to get the Crucible to work. I lost sight of you then until I burned away the fog surrounding you. That’s when I saw the apparition telling you about those three choices and you chose the green light. It told you about merging organics and synthetics together and you looked toward it. You didn’t see the thing smile. It made me uneasy to see it. You ran and dove into the light just as I finished the spell.”

Shepard paled. She said nothing about Anderson or Hackett when she spoke with Thane earlier.

“You can see into the place we came from? What about my son? What happened to him? To the others?” Thane said in a rush.

Rasmodius shook his head and a look of sadness entered his eyes. “I do not know. Shepard was the link into that realm. When I cast the spell and pulled her here, I lost the ability to see there.”

“But I died. I felt my body dissolve.”

The wizard shook his head again. “You only thought you dissolved. It was my spell separating your organic body from that of the machines inside you. It is why none of those… things came with you. You have none of those small machines inside you anymore.”

Cybernetics? He somehow removed all those cybernetic implants Cerberus used to bring her back? And she was alive?

She frowned at him, “How did you do that? Why did you do that? You could have ruined everything. They could have continued the harvest because you messed up the synthesis.”

Rasmodius shook his head. “You could not see as I did. When you leaped into the light and the spell began to work, your eyes glowed blue with the same light as those horrid things you called husks did. Your body… when you separated, the body which fell into the light was a husk; metal and lights.”

“What? I had some cybernetics in me but not an entire body made up of the stuff.”

The wizard stroked his beard then moved to a clear quartz crystal. “This is a memory stone. I found a pure quartz in the mine and enchanted it. It will let me recall several day's worth of memories if I need to remember certain things. Look into the crystal and see my memory.”

Shepard hesitated and Thane moved close to the crystal. Shepard swallowed and stood next to him then stared into the center of the stone as it began to pulsate with a red glow.

She saw the star child; she witnessed the twisted grin it gave as she limped toward the greenish light. When she began to run, slight ripples happened in the view then she gasped when she saw the flesh melting from her body and below it was a husk. Metal woven and meshed together, cybernetic eyes glowing with a blue light instead of the green her eyes were normally. The flash of light as the body fell down further into the opening where the light emanated from until a burst of a stronger green light came forth. Then the crystal went dark.

“What happened after that?” Thane asked and Rasmodius shrugged.

“I do not know. The spell took effect and cut off the connection with that reality.”

Shepard took several steps back while shaking her head. “This is impossible.”

Rasmodius shrugged and placed the crystal back on the table. “Believe it or not, what I’ve told you is the truth. I needed your help to save this valley, and I gave you something you wished for in prepayment. I reunited you with Thane Krios.”

“What do you mean by saving the valley? It doesn’t look like it is in any trouble,” Thane said.

Rasmodius gestured to a large drawing on the floor. It resembled several star shapes drawn upon each other inside a large circle. Several stones and brilliant colored crystals lied around it.

“Let me show you something,” he said. A moment later a vision of a bouncing green ball showed up waving its tiny black arms in the air. “Was this what you saw inside the community center?”

They both nodded.

“I was correct then. The spell brought the one who could help. The creature is called a Junimo. It is a spirit of the valley. They protect the natural order of things here. They are the ones who allow the increased growth rate and size of the plants, keep the water crystal clear, and the ground fertile. They make the trees grow straight and strong. But, with the people in the valley turning away from nature and looking for easy ways of doing things, of disposable items which they don’t grow or harvest here in the valley the Junimos began to suffer. They need us as much as we need them. Without the Junimos the magic of this valley will die, without the magic, they will die.

“I’ve tried to understand them, to figure out what it was they needed, but I’m unable to, hence why I cast the spell to find the one who could.”

Thane frowned. “We did, in fact, see this creature in the Center, three times actually. Once it carried a plate and dropped it near our feet. We left it there since we could not understand it.”

“A plate you say? It might be the clue I needed. I’ll be right back,” he said, then disappeared in a puff of purple smoke.

Shepard blinked then snorted, “Do you believe this crap. Smokescreen and mirrors… that’s what it is. He must have overheard us talking.”

Thane shook his head. “You know he did not.”

Shepard opened her mouth to say something else when the Wizard rushed through the front door. “I’ve got it. I know what we need to do now. I need to make a potion for you to read their language; the language of nature,” he said as he ran past them and began grabbing things down from the huge multi-shelved unit holding jars, boxes, and small bags.

“What are you talking about?” Shepard asked.

The Wizard tossed hunks of fiber, pine cones, maple seeds, and a strange purple mushroom into the bubbling cauldron. The room filled with the scent of a clean forest. “They will tell you what they need, but they’ll only do so for the one, or in this case the ones, they’ve chosen. Both of you,” he said then poured in a thick liquid which made the brew turn a dark green for a moment. The Wizard grabbed a huge paddle sitting next to the cauldron and stuck it inside the pot and began to stir it. “It’s almost done,” he said.

Rasmodius rooted around a large box and withdrew a dirt-colored crystal and threw it into the pot followed by a clamshell, then stirred it again.

“There. It’s done. Drink,” he said as he dipped two wooden mugs into the substance and handed one to each of them.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. What do you take us for; fools? We’re not drinking...” then she stopped talking as Thane raised the mug to his lips and drank.

“Thane! Are you crazy?” Shepard yelled.

“No. He told us what he saw, he knows who we are. He hadn’t lied about that. I doubt he would lie about the Junimos, he knows about them,” Thane said as he looked around the room which now glowed green as he saw visions of large healthy trees, thick, lush grass, and vibrantly colored flowers springing up all around him. “Drink the potion, Siha. It is not a poison and I am beginning to understand now. They want us to revitalize this valley.”

Shepard watched Thane closely. “Where you go, so will I. Drinking the water together didn’t kill us so I will join you in this, we won’t be torn apart again. But I still think you’re crazy.” She drank.

An hour later, after their visions of the forest cleared from their eyes, they left the Wizard’s tower. His advice to return to the community center to try communicating with the Junimos rang out as they closed the door.

“It’s still early yet, Shepard, why don’t we do as he suggested? We can fish in the small river nearby and hopefully catch several to sell.”

She nodded, and they headed back to town. They stopped to talk with the Mayor. They told them they would drop off fish to sell if they caught any, and he waved a hand at them.

“Just place it in the shipping bin. I’ll get it in the morning,” he said.

Shepard must have made a grimacing face because the older man began to laugh. “It will remain fresh inside the box. Any produce, fish, dairy product etcetera will remain just as fresh as when you dropped it in there. The Wizard explained to us that if we use the natural material from the valley, it will always keep things fresh. It’s something that happens automatically.

“The packs I gave you, and Pierre will sometimes sell, come from outside the valley, but the Wizard does something to them so they can hold so much more stuff. Don’t worry about anything going bad, even in the heat of summer.”

Thane and Shepard looked at each other then shrugged. They saw enough weird stuff today that they believed him.

* * *

They opened the creaking door to the community center and walked into the silence. They didn’t see any of the bouncing Junimo things and headed toward the room where the plate lay.

Thane crouched down and picked it back up. He blinked then looked at Shepard. “I can read this now,” he said as he held it out to her.

She frowned and said, “So can I. ‘We the Junimo are happy to aid you. In return, we ask for gifts of the valley. If you are one with forest magic, then you will see the true nature of this scroll.’ I wonder what it means by that? Gifts of the valley?”

A yellow-colored Junimo popped into the room and suddenly six differently wrapped boxes appeared. The Junimo dropped a small journal by their feet and disappeared again.

Thane moved to the box with a bright green wrapping paper on it and saw they could remove the lid. He picked it up and looked inside. “Siha, the box is empty.”

Shepard mumbled something, and he turned around to look at her.

“This… I swear this is a shopping list using pictures,” she said and held out the book to him. The top of the page had curly writing which read, “Crafts Room.”

He studied it and hummed. “Shepard, this one looks similar to those dandelion plants.” He turned the book around and pointed to the picture. She frowned and nodded in agreement. He flipped through the rest of the book and saw it used only six pages. “Hmm. Six pages and six boxes. I wonder… there are many other rooms here, Shepard. Maybe the boxes and rooms correlate to the journal?”

“I suppose. We must test it and see. If you’re right, the green box wants the forageable items from this season.” She looked at the rest of the marked pages. “Here’s one wanting wood and stone and… some reddish colored logs.” She held the book up closer to her face and frowned. “Those bastards want 99 stones and 198 pieces of wood if I’m reading this right.”

“Now, Siha. Can you imagine those little arms wielding an axe and trying to cut it themselves?” Thane said and Shepard snorted before grinning.

“Come, let us leave here and go fishing. We also still have the tea seeds to plant yet.”


	10. Reopening of the Mine - Combat!

* * *

Shepard reached into the mailbox and drew out the only letter inside before opening up the cash box on the shipping bin.

“We’ve got a fat stack of credits from those fish we sold. We also got a letter from Joja Corporation apologizing for the inconvenience they caused with the blockage to the mine. They say it’s now open again. Want to go check it out?”

Thane nodded, “Gs, Siha. Later though. Let’s check the plants and begin searching for those items the Junimos asked for. I am curious as to what happens when they receive the “gifts” from us. Pierre’s is closed today and our parsnips have grown, this field will lay fallow until tomorrow.”

Shepard shrugged. “It’s only one night.”

Thane hummed and continued to look over his tea seeds. Since it was raining, there was no need to water them.

They found both a dandelion and a daffodil, after carefully placing them into Thane’s pack they kept moving higher into the mountain. Demetrius waved at them as they passed by the Carpenter’s shop and Maru came tearing out the front door, shouting hello as she ran for a different path heading down the mountain.

Thane led the way over a rickety-looking wooden bridge and into the area marked “Mine” on their map. “At least the giant boulder missed the bridge,” Shepard murmured.

“Maybe it would have been better to have taken the bridge out and built a more solid construction,” Thane said as they finally made it across.

The mine was dark and they both tensed when they saw someone stand up and move around in the shadows.

“Hello there, the name’s Marlon and I’m head of the Adventurer’s Guild here in Stardew Valley. You want to be careful in this old mine, it’s quite dark and dangerous.”

“Adventurer’s Guild? What’s that?” Shepard asked while trying to keep her laughter out of her tone.

“Our group rewards fellow adventurers for the removal of dangerous creatures from the mine and local area. We don’t just take anyone though. A person has to prove themselves capable of handling the tasks.”

“And these dangerous creatures are in the mine you say?” Thane asked the older man.

“Why yes, they are. If you’re planning on going into the mine to hunt for minerals, you will need one of these,” he said as he knelt down beside a crate next to an opening they now noticed and pulled out a battered sword.

Shepard grimaced and Thane tensed.

“The mine is a dangerous place indeed. The inhabitants aren’t just going to let you go into it and break it apart. They’ll attack.”

“Do you have something other than a sword?” Shepard asked with a bite to her words.

The older man’s one good eye narrowed, and he shook his head. “There are other weapons available, but this is the one for beginners like yourselves.”

Shepard straightened up and sputtered. “Beginner? Did you call us fucking beginners? Buddy, I’ll have you know I’m a Co...”

Shepard’s tirade cut off when Thane covered her mouth with his hand. “Thank you, Marlon. We will gladly accept the offered sword and we appreciate your warning.”

Marlon’s eyebrow rose, and he handed Thane the sword before nodding and leaving the mine.

Thane waited until Marlon was out of earshot before removing his hand from Shepard’s mouth. “Shepard, they don’t know who we are. Remember? They believe us to be strangers who had their items stolen. Frankly, we are beginners in this place. Using a sword differs greatly from our usual weapons of choice.”

Shepard still snarled and muttered under her breath as they moved toward the ladder. “Wait, a moment. Shepard, is this a lift?” Thane asked as he moved closer to one wall and saw doors the same color as the rock with a small panel beside it. Something dimmed the lights as if without enough power.

“I think it is. It looks like there’s no way to get it working though. Something must have cut the power to it.”

They tried looking for the cables and didn’t have any luck so headed for the ladder instead. The first floor they encountered had rocks of different sizes littered around the area and no signs of danger. They took turns breaking the small rocks with their old pick. The large rock in the corner resisted even chipping with their blows against it.

Thane moved back a step when he broke a rock and found an opening with a ladder going down further. “Well… it seems in order to go down we have to uncover the ladders.”

The next level was larger. Thane blinked at the torches lining the walls. “I wonder who placed these torches if a rock blocked the entrance to this area.”

Shepard shrugged and grunted as she slammed the pick down on a rock with red knobs sticking out of it. Instead of the stone pieces dropping from it, two small orangish-red chunks fell free.

“Shepard? Do you know what this is?” Thane asked as he held a piece out to her. She held it up to the light and shrugged her shoulders. He hummed, “Maybe we should ask the blacksmith.”

They dropped the chunks into Shepard’s pack and watched them zoom into a different pocket than the stones before going back to breaking apart rocks.

It wasn’t until they climbed down the ladder into the next zone that they heard something other than their own breathing or the rustling of their damp clothing.

Thane pointed to a gelatinous green mass with two red eyes and a mouth as it came bouncing toward them. Thane swung the sword at it and knocked it back. Shepard grunted before she leaped into the air and brought her hand down to punch the ground expecting her nova to flare out and destroy the creature. She cried out and dropped to her knees while holding her broken hand cradled against her.

“I’ll take care of this, Siha,” Thane called and cut at the mass again. It took several more hits from the sword before the slime disintegrated into a puddle at Thane’s feet. He poked around and found a round blob in the mess and much to Shepard’s grimacing disgust dropped it into his own pack.

“Marlon said they needed proof did he not? This is proof we killed one. Siha, you should have known your powers wouldn’t work here. Our biotic amps are gone. I don’t have warp or my barrier, and you can’t use your nova or shockwave.”

She hissed as she stared at him. “I forgot.”

Thane finished loading the last of the rocks into Shepard’s pack before helping her to her feet and up the ladder. It surprised them when instead of ending up on the second floor they found themselves back at the entrance.

They followed the path Maru took and found it led to the community center and just above where Doctor Harvey’s clinic was. They hurried down the set of steps and into the clinic.

Maru tsk’d and Doctor Harvey placed a comforting arm around Shepard as he led her back to the x-ray room. Shepard came back out an hour later with her hand wrapped and holding a bottle of red liquid.

“Now drink that first thing in the morning and come see me afterward so I can take off the bandage. Take better care inside the mine.”

They thanked the doctor and promised to pay her medical bill as soon as they received payment for their next shipment of vegetables.

Thane led the way back to the community center. When he placed the daffodil and dandelion into the green-wrapped box Shepard gasped and turned the book toward him. The two pictures of the items were now in vivid color.

“I think it’s safe to say those are what they wanted. I guess if we try to put something else in the box it wouldn’t allow us too.”

Shepard took off her pack and pulled out a rock. “Here, the red box is asking for stones.”

Thane tried to place it into the box but it wouldn’t accept it. “I think wants all 99 pieces at once, Siha, not one at a time.”

She grunted as he dropped the rock back into her backpack.

They followed the path toward the beach and collected what was available, said hi to Elliot before he walked into the small cabin next to a stream he called home and waved to Willy when they saw him.

They sat on the pier and ate a field bar as they fished until nightfall then headed home. While Shepard unloaded their packs Thane checked the plants.

She glanced up in shock when she heard Thane cursing.

“Siha! A damn thief stole one of my tea seeds,” he yelled.

“Who would steal a seed?”

Thane stomped over, “I do not know, but when I catch them, I will make them pay for it.”

Shepard snorted and handed him his pack.


	11. The Seed Thief: Caught in the Act!

* * *

Shepard jerked awake the next morning to the sound of the cabin door slamming and the pounding of Thane’s feet as he ran off the porch. She rolled out of their makeshift bed and hurried to the door to see Thane swinging the broom at a crow as it took off from the field.

Thane came back inside with the rain dripping from his hair and his hand clutching the broom.

“The birds are the thieves. This time they stole one of the small tulip plants.”

Shepard handed him a towel. As he dried off, she opened up Hollander’s journal. “This can’t be a new occurrence. Maybe Hollander left us something we can use.”

Thane continued to dry off as Shepard leafed through the book finally coming to settle on a page marked Scarecrow.

“Here. A scarecrow is used to keep the local wildlife from taking the freshly planted seeds and tender, young shoots of sprouting plants. To build one you’ll need the following items: one piece of coal, twenty pieces of fibrous material, and fifty pieces of wood. Follow the blueprint on the next page to build it. A scarecrow will protect the surrounding circular area of 248 spaces; eight spaces each to the north, east, south, and west, and six spaces each to the northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest. In other words, it protects a 17x17 area, excluding 10 spaces in each corner.”

Thane dropped the wet towel next to the fireplace where their only set of clothes were still trying to drip dry and nodded. “We need one of those, Shepard. I’ll follow the directions to build it if you would go into town to purchase replacement seed packs and pick up our order with Pierre. Don’t forget to stop in at the clinic.”

“Sure, I’ll bring all of this stuff inside, and there’s a piece of coal in my pack.”

Thane studied the blueprint as Shepard hurried out to gather the other items from where they stashed it all.

She held out a purple, sparkling letter tied to a small box to him when she came back inside. He opened it while she stacked the wood next to the fireplace.

“It’s from Rasmodius.

  
  


_Shepard and Thane,_

_I’m glad you stopped by the other day. I meant to give you this, but with all the excitement it slipped my mind. As you have probably figured out by now, your packs are limited in how many different items you can carry. Hollander and I came up with a solution many, many years ago. Chests. Not just your plain average ordinary chests either. I’m talking magical chests._

_Hollander should have left a crafting book before he died. I’m pretty sure the Mayor has it if he hasn’t already passed it on to you. If you have it, find the blueprint for a chest. Once you’ve built it follow these steps and you’ll have a magical chest._

_Place one drop from the enclosed potion bottle into the bottom of the new chest. Then build another chest and do the same thing. You can place the second chest anywhere on your farm or in any of the village shops, down at the beach, outside of the mine, or on the lake’s pier. Pretty much anywhere that doesn’t interfere with other villager’s normal travel routes._

_You can then place items inside the chests._

_‘What makes that so special? They’re chests, _after all,_ that’s what they do; hold stuff.’_

_That’s true. But… the potion not only allows you to place the chest in these locations and not have anyone else see it and take things out of them, but will also let you see everything inside of all of them no matter how far away they are. So you can open your chest on your farm and take out a fish from a chest on the beach or ore you had stored in the blacksmith’s shop. Handy right?_

_Not only that, but I’ve added an extra kick to this new potion. It will allow chest pooling. What’s that you say? Let me tell you. If you place something like wood into your farm chest and go out chopping down trees in the Cindersap forest, instead of having to cart all the wood back to your farm, just drop it into the nearest chest and it will automatically be sent to the stack inside the farm’s chest. That’s right. Find a dandelion and stick it inside a chest next to the beach and zoom off it goes to be added to the pile in the community center chest; and so forth. Arrange your chests as you want and as you add more, you can organize them to your heart’s content._

_Don’t forget to give each chest a unique name and you can even magically color the wood. Go wild, make it neon pink! No one will see it but you two._

_I’ve outdone myself with this potion. Enjoy!_

_M. Rasmodius”_

  
  


“He’s a crackpot,” Shepard mumbled.

* * *

Shepard shook off what rain she could before walking toward Pierre’s counter. “Morning, Pierre. I need to buy some seeds and check if our clothing order is in.”

Pierre reached under the counter and lifted a paper bag to the counter. “Mayor Lewis dropped it off yesterday. I checked everything before Caroline washed and dried it for you. She folded them neatly before loading the shopping bag. What seeds do you need?”

“One tea seed, one tulip seed, add in three green bean ones, and three of the cauliflower. That should give us all the basic seeds for this season.”

“You’ll want some potato seeds as well. You can roast potatoes in a fire if you wrap them up good and tight. There’s foil on the shelf over there. Just add some salt and pepper after you cut it open and it’ll taste great. Even better if you add some of Marnie’s butter, at least until you can get a barn and a cow or two for your own dairy products.”

He watched as she found the items he pointed out to her. When she returned to the counter there were yellow and red rain slicker and galoshes sets sitting next to the bag with the clothing.

“I know you guys have little, but you can’t keep going out in the rain without some protection. I’m not sure if they have these things where you were from but it’s rain gear. It’ll keep your clothing dry when you’re working in the rain. During the summer and fall seasons, we get bad storms here and the rain will soak you in seconds. If you get chilled, you run the chance of getting sick. Harvey’s pretty generous with helping people, but he’s got to pay his taxes and buy the medicine and stuff so can’t be giving away his services for free to everyone. These are on the house. I’ve had them up in storage for a few years now and Caroline and I want you guys to have them.”

Shepard started to shake her head no and say she’d pay for them when Pierre grinned and placed the red set in the bag. “Well if you insist, that will be 650Gs for everything.”

Shepard’s eyes narrowed as Pierre pushed the bag and the yellow set of gear toward her. She tried to do a quick calculation in her head but hadn’t looked at the prices for the spices or foil. She could swear it should have cost more than that with adding in the gear.

Pierre pushed up his glasses and counted out the Gs before placing it in his register and jotting down the total in his loyalty rewards book.

Shepard plopped the yellow vinyl hat on her head and slid the coat on then buckled it up. It took her a moment to get the galoshes over her shoes before she thanked him and grabbed the bag.

Doctor Harvey waved aside the Gs she laid on the counter and told her he could wait another few days in case they needed the money for food or something. He removed the wrapping from her hand and examined it before pronouncing her healed.

“Why don’t you and Thane come by the Stardrop Saloon on Friday night? It’s lively. It will give you a chance to relax and get to know most of the town. The food is good and I’m sure a decent meal will help.”

“I’ll tell Thane, but right now we have to watch our spending. Thanks, Doctor Harvey,” Shepard said before she put her raincoat back on and headed for the door.

When she walked through the door to their shack, she saw Thane with the only dry towel left tied around his waist and a low burning fire going in the fireplace.

“It’s the only way our clothes will dry. At least it’s still early in the season and we won’t overheat in here,” Thane said as he reached for the backpack she held out to him.

“The bag with our stuff is in there, along with a set of matching rain gear. Let me change then we can go out and plant those seeds and maybe go fishing or something, we need more cash. I bought several more packets of different seeds for food for us to eat. Pierre said the farming guide should have the planting requirements for them.”

Shepard stripped off her wet clothes and went to hang them by the fireplace when she stopped in her tracks as she noticed the object leaning against the wall.

“Thane? What the hell is that thing?”

A low rumbling noise sounded and Shepard looked over her shoulder. Thane wasn’t staring where she pointed but at her bare backside.

“Focus, Thane. Not on my butt, but where I’m pointing.”

“I’d rather remain focused on your heart-shaped rear which fits perfectly in my palms, Siha.”

Her eyebrow raised, and he sighed. “That is the scarecrow, Shepard. Although, it did not look as such when I made it. It was only fiber pieces wrapped around a long stick of wood tied together with more fiber. When I went out to gather the wood to start the fire, I came back in and it looked like that.”

Shepard turned back to the scarecrow. It resembled a long-eared rabbit wearing pastel-colored clothing tied to a long, straight stick. “Huh. This place keeps getting weirder.”

They dressed and Shepard explained the rain gear to Thane then while he picked up the scarecrow she gathered the seed packets and the tools. They opened the door to find Clint standing there in the rain with his hand raised to knock on the door.

After ushering him inside he told them he heard they were in the mine recently and offered them a blueprint for a mini-furnace to smelt the ores into bars instead of having to bring them all to him.

Shepard rooted around in her pack and drew out the chunk of reddish stone. “What is this? We found it inside a strange rock.”

Clint took it and held it up to the meager light filtering through the window. “This is copper ore. If you find five pieces of copper ore and a hunk of coal, you can place them inside your mini-furnace. It will smelt it down and pour it into a special mold. Once cooled you can remove the pure copper bar. You use the bars for buildings, or you can bring me five bars and I can upgrade your old tools into better ones. It takes several days for the upgrade though, so make sure you won’t need them in the meantime. The only tool which won’t need upgrading is the scythe used for cutting grass. I can make a few repairs to it for free; if the handle breaks or it needs sharpening, but it’s as light as I can make it.”

Clint started out the door when he turned around and said, “Another thing, sometimes you’ll find geodes in the rocks, if you bring those to me I can crack them open for you for a small fee. You’ll find more resources inside them and sometimes gems or even rare or precious minerals the museum could display.”

They smiled and nodded at Clint then scooted through the door trying to get it to open wide enough for them to pass through without damaging the scarecrow.

Thane placed the scarecrow and paced off the steps to make sure it would cover all the tilled areas they already planted before helping Shepard to ready the next section and plant the new seeds.

* * *

They ended up in Cindersap forest gathering forage items. Thane cut several downed branches while Shepard sat on the lake’s pier to fish.

“Shepard, there’s a house over there. I think it’s the ranch Doctor Harvey mentioned on the news. Marnie’s Ranch.”

Shepard peered through the sheet of rain and could make out a portion of a yellow and red building. After Shepard reeled in the latest catch and stowed it in her pack with a grimace and a promise to wash the pack later, they walked toward it.

They knocked on the door and opened it. A slightly older woman with brown curly hair stood behind a wooden counter. “Welcome to Marnie’s. You must be Shepard and Thane. I’ve heard a lot about you from Lewis and a few others. Terrible news about the car-jacking, glad you weren’t injured though. What brings you by the ranch today?”

“We saw your ranch and heard about it on the news. We thought we’d stop in to say hello,” Shepard said.

“Well, that’s neighborly of you. Are you in the market for animals? I also sell fresh eggs, milk, butter, and cream. Once a week I offer fresh goat and cow cheese, but you have to get here early if you want some, I usually sell out by mid-morning. I have a small selection of supplies; hay, heaters, butter churns, milk pails, cheese, and butter molds, and shears.”

Shepard shook her head, “We don’t know a thing about raising animals. We just moved in and have yet to get electricity.”

“Oh my,” Marnie said and hurried over to a bookshelf in the room's corner. She came back carrying a book bound in a red cover and handed it to them. “Well, this is just a little book I wrote about ranching. You can have it, that way you can prepare for farm animals later if you want. There’s nothing like fresh eggs and buttered toast for breakfast, they can also be profitable during the fall market. Aged cheese is quite the money maker during festivals when the city folk comes, of course, with the train station blocked and the bus not working it might be rough to sell this year.”

“We’ll keep everything in mind, thanks,” Shepard said as she tucked the book into Thane’s pack and they left the ranch house.

They followed a sign pointing to town and gathered up a few more items from the beach and around the town square before jogging up the steps to the community center.

Their wet rubber-soled boots made squeaking noises as they walked over the broken wood flooring. Shepard reached into her pack, removed the leek and horseradish they found that morning and handed them to Thane. When he placed them into the box and put the lid back on Shepard turned the book toward him and they saw the list had changed to a closed box.

They heard a sproing and looked down to see the yellow Junimo bounce into the room, pick up the green box in its spindly black arms and make its way out the door. Shepard and Thane followed it and saw it disappear back into the mound in the corner. Only now it looked more like a small hut with a green thatched roof instead of a pile of garbage.

Two Junimos popped back out of the hut, a blue one and a green one. The blue one bounced over next to a broken glass tank while the green one headed back down the hallway and turned into a different room.

“Open the book again, Shepard,” Thane said, and she did. She turned several pages and pointed to the new entries, the tops of the pages marked, “Fish Tank” and “Pantry.”

They looked over the pages and Shepard pointed to several which had twelve pictures but only a few small boxes on the page. “I wonder what’s up with that?”

Thane looked through the book again. “I believe they are giving us a choice in what to give them. They will accept any of these items on the page, but they only want five or six of them. See,” he said and pointed to a page in the Crafts Room section, “this one has five small boxes where the pictures can go, yet they have nine tiny icons of things.”

She held the book up toward the broken window to get a better look at the pages and nodded. “Now I get it. Why don’t you go take a look in the pantry area while I check out the fish tank, maybe I caught something they want already?”

Thane returned and told her there were six boxes just like in the other room all differently wrapped.

“I had a fish they wanted, the tiny writing I think said carp when I put the fish in the box. They also wanted the clamshell and one of the other things we found on the beach earlier. I think we might want to see about putting one of those chests in here for sure and another at home. It will save us from having to come here every day. I’m also thinking each of these pages contains fish only caught in certain places. They have a marking for one of those fish we caught in the ocean too. So let’s go fishing in the river near here, then tomorrow the ocean. We also need to go to the mine and try to locate more copper to build the furnace.”

Thane hummed, “Why don’t we split the jobs. While one of us is in the mine, the other can fish the lake outside the entrance. We’ve only one pick, one sword, and one pole.”

Shepard nodded, “We might be able to make more cred… I mean Gs that way as well. Speaking of which, we’re almost to the 2,000 Gs mark in only a few days. Another big haul of fish, foraged stuff, and a few harvests and we can get the lights on.”

“The Junimos want a parsnip, green bean, cauliflower, and a potato. The green beans produce several harvests each season, the rest have to be replanted,” Thane said as he looked at the journal.

“Maybe we should buy packets to keep at the house in case they harvest on a Wednesday when Pierre is closed.”

Thane nodded his agreement. Shepard slipped her pack back on and they both jammed the vinyl hats on their heads. As they turned to leave the yellow Junimo bounced out of the hut carrying a small box and dropped it at their feet before disappearing.

Thane crouched down and pulled on the tiny red ribbon wrapped around the box. When he took the lid off, he tipped his head to the side before reaching inside and pulling out a handful of packets. “Siha, they stuffed the box with seed packets.”

“What?”

He handed a blue packet up to her, a drawing of a horseradish visible on the front of the paper pack.

“There are at least twenty or thirty packets in this box,” Thane said as he reached back into it.

“If we plant all these, at harvest we could earn between 900 to 1800 Gs. For just finding them a couple of things and bringing them here. I wonder if they’ll do that for each of the boxes we fill up?”

Thane shrugged, “I would assume so.” He placed all the packets back into the box and picked it up. “I’ll head back to the farm and get these planted while you fish. I’ll see you tonight. If you’re not back by dark, I’ll send you a message on the phone.”

She nodded and started to turn away when he tugged on her elbow. She looked up at him and a slight smile came to his lips before he leaned down and kissed her. One thing hadn’t changed about him, she thought. His kiss still reminded her of hot sinful nights.


	12. The Egg Festival

* * *

The morning’s news announcement reminded them a town festival would take place between nine am and ten pm. The town square would be inaccessible until it started and they would block all other exits to limit the egg hunting area. Neither one complained; Gus would provide free food.

After their morning chores, they took quick baths then started toward town.

Shepard pointed out the bright decorations lining the fence and path from the town’s parking lot to the town square.

A large market stall sat off to one side with a sign hanging on it for Pierre’s. They stopped in to talk to him as Shane, Marnie’s nephew, browsed several baskets sitting on the makeshift counter.

“Well hello, you two, glad you could make it. I sell limited stock during the festival.”

“Hi, Pierre. Mind if we look around?”

“Sure. If you see anything just let me know,” he said before turning to Shane and telling him the wheat seeds wouldn’t be available until next season.

Shepard began looking in the various baskets and gasped. It drew both Pierre’s and Thane’s attention. “What is it, Siha?”

“Strawberries. Real strawberry seeds?” Shepard murmured and Pierre gave a slight nod in her direction.

Thane whispered to her, “What are strawberries, Shepard?”

“Mm, well, strawberries are a very sweet, red berry which is delicious on its own or covered in chocolate, made into cakes, pies, or even mixed with ice cream and milk for a luscious thick drink. And if these are like the other freshly grown food it will be even better than what comes from the other Earth.”

“So these are food you would enjoy?” Thane asked and Shepard nodded.

“I would, but it’s too late in the season for these now. From what the package said even if we planted them tonight before bed I’d get two harvests out of it if we’re lucky. That’s a bit of a waste.”

“Then purchase them for next year. We shall plant them on the first day of spring and you can have your berries throughout the season.”

Pierre came over. “If you don’t want to purchase them early, I’ll have packets at the beginning of spring next year. I ordered plenty and should have them for you.”

Shepard nodded and placed the seed packet back in the basket, “We’re unsure how much our taxes will be, Pierre. I think we should hold off right now.”

Pierre nodded and suggested they talk to everyone and eat their fill of Gus’ egg dishes. They spent most of the late morning and early afternoon talking to everyone. Gus insisted they try something from each of the egg dishes and they didn’t argue but loaded their plates.

Shepard and Thane were talking with Robin and Demetrius when Mayor Lewis blew a whistle to get everyone’s attention.

“Good afternoon everyone. I hope all of you are enjoying the Egg Festival so far. I’d like to thank Marnie and Shane for donating all the eggs this year, also Jodi and Caroline for getting up early and spending their morning preparing and coloring them for the egg hunt. I’m sure Willy hid the eggs extra careful like he does every year. I just hope this year we can find all of them before summer rolls around.”

Several people laughed. Shepard saw Willy take off his battered hat and scratch his head with a perplexed and a slight panicky look in his eyes. It looked like he was trying to remember where he hid them all.

“What’s going on Robin?” Shepard asked as she saw both the young children, Vincent and Jas, along with Abigail, Sam, and Maru move toward the front of the crowd and pick up a brightly colored basket.

“The town puts on an egg hunt for anyone who wants to take part, it’s usually the kids and the young adults who take part in it. The winner receives a prize. Abigail wins it every year, much to Vincent and Jas’ disappointment. Those two kids wait for this festival all year hoping they would win. They’re just too small to keep up with the older ones. Mayor Lewis puts fifty seconds on a stopwatch when everyone is ready he blows his whistle and they all try to find as many eggs as they can within the time limit. Pam, Penny, and Gus all count the eggs and tells the Mayor who found the most. They spent the rest of the afternoon and evening talking and eating until everyone’s fit to burst and doesn’t want to see another egg until next year.”

Shepard turned her attention back to the Mayor when she heard him ask if everyone remembered the rules. When the participants said they did, he told them there would be an exclusive prize for the winner this year. Both the children jumped up and down in excitement and the Mayor told them to settle down.

Shepard watched the smaller kids hold the baskets tighter in their hands and look around to spot any eggs before the Mayor blew the whistle. Shepard spotted several nearby and casually moved over near them. She waited until she met Jas’ eyes and winked at her.

Jas blinked and saw the new farmer, Ms. Shepard, wink at her then curl her hand and point toward a spot next to Mayor Lewis’ car. Jas saw something blue near a bush. She gave the lady a smile. As Mayor Lewis talked about how important it was to the community to continue the festivals, she watched Ms. Shepard moving around the area and tried to remember each spot she stopped in and pointed too. She would win this year, and Miss Abigail could lose for once.

Jas started running in the opposite direction she did every other year and bent to pick up her first egg. She saw Vincent trying to run ahead of Abigail but wasn’t fast enough and lost yet another egg to her. Jas kept moving and picking up eggs on the opposite side of the square. She saw Vincent bend down to pick up an orange-colored egg only to have Abigail grab it first. Jas didn’t stop for the next thirty seconds. She moved her short legs and ran as fast as she could; picking up what she could find until the whistle blew.

“Well, look at all the eggs this year. Well done everyone. Now if only we can get you to pick up trash the same way,” the Mayor said, and the adults chuckled.

“We’ll hand off the baskets to the judges and let them count the eggs. While we’re waiting, Haley has set up this year’s Egg Festival commemorative photo booth. Be sure to stop by and get your picture taken to remember this fine festival.”

Thane bent close to Shepard and whispered in her ear, “I saw that by the way. You helped the little girl.”

Shepard shrugged, “The young ones shouldn’t have to deal with trying to outrun or compete with people much older than they are. I know you did during your training, but this is to be fun. How fun can it be for those two to always lose to people who are old enough to marry and have kids of their own for Goddess’ sake? Besides, she still had to make it to the eggs before anyone else.”

Thane hummed and turned his attention back to the participants. Abigail stood there with a smug look on her face, Sam looked bored, Maru kept glancing at Vincent when she heard the boy try to stifle a sniffle. Jas bounced on her toes and tried to see past the people gathered at the judge’s table.

Everyone gathered together when the Mayor said they were ready to announce the winner of this year’s festival.

“Well, what an eggciting hunt this year… get it egg-citing?” the Mayor chuckled then cleared his throat when only a few of the adults snorted.

“So here we go with the totals this year. In fifth place… Sam with two eggs.” Everyone began clapping and Sam waved. “In fourth place… Vincent with three eggs.” Again everyone clapped, but Vincent just looked down at the scuffed and dirty tops of his shoes.

“In third place with five eggs, Maru. Congratulations here is your prize,” Lewis said and handed a small box to Maru when she approached him to collect it. When she opened the box, there was a small hand-painted wooden egg on a stand that read Egg Festival-Third Place on a small brass plaque.

“The last two contestants ran a close race this year. This year’s second-place winner will receive a foil-wrapped chocolate rabbit donated by Pierre. With eight eggs, this year’s second-place winner is… Abigail.”

There was a moment of shocked silence before the clapping started. The smirk slid off Abigail’s face as she stood with her mouth open.

“Come, come, Abigail, we still have to announce this year’s grand prize winner,” the Mayor said.

Abigail closed her mouth, stomped over and practically tore the foil rabbit from his hand before defiantly stalking over to toss it in the garbage can outside the Saloon. Everyone gasped then grew quiet. Everyone except Shepard.

“Wow, that hissy fit was worthy of a five-year-old,” she muttered loud enough for those closest to her to hear. Robin snorted as did Sebastian. Thane tightened his hand on Shepard's. Caroline shook her head with a frown and Pierre muttered something which sounded like ‘spoiled’. The Mayor cleared his throat to bring everyone’s attention back to him.

“Normally, the first place winner would receive a one-of-a-kind straw hat designed by Emily if they hadn’t won one in the previous years. This year, however, we expanded the reward a little since we weren’t sure if our newcomer family would participate or not.” Mayor Lewis’ eyes twinkled at Shepard and Thane, they both saw him wink quickly at Shepard. He must have seen what she did.

“So this year’s winner will receive, not only the special straw hat, but Evelyn made a batch of yummy cookies, Gus added a unique chocolate-covered peanut butter egg he made this morning, and a beautiful egg-shaped trophy carved by Clint from a fire quartz to commemorate your first place. The winner is, Jas, with a total of ten eggs. Congratulations, young lady.”

Jas’ smile was huge as she and Shane approached Mayor Lewis. He held a large box out to Shane who knelt beside his god-daughter and waited while she took off the lid. She gasped and lifted out the flower-strewn straw hat and placed it on her head. The dark purple of her hair shone in the sun’s light and set off the rainbow of springtime flowers.

Then Jas reached in for the red-colored egg and held it out for everyone to see before putting it back in the box. Next, came the small box of cookies in one hand while she struggled to lift out the foil-wrapped egg with the other. When everyone saw them she asked Shane to put the lid back on the box before she ran over to Vincent.

“Come on, Vincent. There’s enough here for both of us,” she said and the pink-haired boy looked up to see if she was joking with him. The smile she gave him lit her face, and he smiled back at her before they ran for the closest table to eat their sweets.

It was ten o’clock that night before Shepard and Thane made it home. They were tired and stuffed full of so many egg dishes they could barely move. After checking the plants one last time they got ready to bed, tomorrow was another long day.


	13. Salmonberry Season Starts

* * *

Thane shook Shepard lightly as she tried valiantly to sleep through her 6 am alarm.

“Good morning, Stardew Valley, this is Doctor Harvey with your news for this morning. Salmonberry season starts today. When I took my morning walk I saw many bushes in town loaded with ripe berries. A quick reminder, the berry season lasts for the next four days. That’s right folks only four days to pick as many berries as you can because we won’t see those nutritious and delicious berries again until next spring.

“Today’s weather is bright and sunny, with a light breeze. Tomorrow’s outlook is rainy, don’t forget your rain gear.

“Willy asked me to remind everyone that his store is officially open for business and he’s well stocked with bait, traps, and received his shipment of brand-new fiberglass rods. He also wants to pass on some fishing lore.

“This valley is home too many species of fish not found in any other location in the world. Some are available only during certain seasons, others only available when it rains and then there are the elusive fish available only at night when it’s raining.

“He wishes good luck to those looking to catch the legendary fish. He tells me that not only are they available only under certain conditions but also only by casting in specific locations with an iridium quality rod. He informs me that because of an iridium shortage he’s unable to have those rods crafted yet. He assures me he is working to find a source of the rare and valuable ore.

“Mayor Lewis asked me to remind you, later this season the Flower Festival will take place in the meadow far-west of Marnie’s Ranch. We’ll give you more information when the time of the festival draws closer. For those of you with internet access, you can see the list of activities and times posted on the Festival page from prior years.

“Sebastian wants to give a friendly reminder. He states even though the Pelican Town Fiber Network is free, the web page service he offers is not.”

Doctor Harvey cleared his throat and continued, “He politely requests those spamming his business email address with demands to create pages for them, but refusing to pay, to stop before he disconnects your internet permanently. His rates are reasonable for the amount of work it takes to create the sites and maintain them.”

Shepard snorted and finished lacing her boots.

“Here’s Madam Welwick with today’s fortune.”

“Thank you, Doctor Harvey. Today I see… I see... oh my. The spirits are very displeased today. They will do their best to make your life difficult.”

“Lovely,” Shepard muttered then turned off the radio.

Shepard checked the mailbox after gathering up the Gs from the shipping bin.

“We got a letter from Robin. She’s asking us to look for an axe she lost in the Cindersap Forest. We can do it when we go berry picking.”

The day felt warmer than usual, Shepard thought as she moved through the tall weeds and skirted the branches and rocks still littering most of the farm as she made her way to the northern path, only stopping to pick the berries from the random bushes on the farm. She picked the berry bushes clean in the upper area of the mountain all the way down past the community center and back to the farm. She dropped off what they would sell into the shipping bin before going to the southern exit of the farm to meet Thane in the forest and begin searching for the axe along with gathering more berries.

She found Thane picking berries outside of Marnie’s ranch. A large brown and white creature was chewing something and staring at Thane from a fenced section of the ranch’s yard.

Shepard stared at the creature as she came to stand beside him. “It looks sort of like a shifty space cow who tried to pick my pocket once. Only it doesn’t have the two small arms and hands in front of it.”

“Jas told me it is called a cow. She looked at me oddly when I asked. I told her I never lived near a farm so I never saw one up close. She seemed to take my word for it and told me Marnie sold different cows and they gave milk when they weren’t babies anymore and were happy.”

Shepard stared at the creature and it stared back for a moment before lumbering away toward the large building inside the fenced-off area.

They split up and began searching the entire forest. Thane eventually found Robin’s axe in the far southern area of the forest near a cliff. He called both Robin and Shepard to let them know then proceeded to not only strip the six berry bushes he found but also pull up the eight wild onions growing nearby.

* * *

Shepard sighed as she wrapped yet another potato and parsnip in tin foil and buried it in hot coals near their campfire. Thane glanced up from Hollander’s book and watched as she crudely chopped up a spring onion and stuffed it along with some herbs from their window sill pots into the open cavity of a Bream she caught in the river before they returned to the farm. She had another one in her pack to turn into the community center in the morning. She sighed again.

“I was thinking Siha, it’s almost Friday and we’ve yet to go to the saloon. Why don’t we take a break and stop by to talk to everyone and get something to eat which we haven’t foraged or fished ourselves?”

She paused in wrapping the fish in more foil and looked back at him. “Can we afford to do that? We’ve got taxes coming due in a few weeks, not to mention summer seeds to purchase.”

“I think we can. Actually, I think we’ll have plenty of Gs if we’re careful. Yesterday, when we stopped in Pierre’s, I spoke with his wife Caroline as you were looking in the grocery area. She mentioned they were running short of salmonberry jelly. I inquired as to what it was and she told me salmonberries only grow in this particular valley. The women used to gather together to search the area for the berries then bring them to Hollander. After a few days, he’d show up in town and give them the best tasting jelly. They would share a portion of the finished product as payment for him making it.

“She told me Pierre would only buy the berries for eight Gs a piece, but the jelly he’d buy for sixty. She said the women rarely get together to make jelly anymore. No one had Hollander’s recipe, and they were all too busy to make it themselves.”

He had Shepard’s full attention now. “Did you find the recipe in his crafting book? How many berries would we need?”

Thane grinned and tapped a page. “I found something better, the machine he used to make it with. He called it a Preserves Jar. And according to his notes, it would not only make jelly but if we add certain vegetables, it would make something called pickles as well. There was even a chart included with a listing of the best fruits and vegetables to use to maximize profit. Parsnips, potatoes, green beans, cauliflower, salmonberries, blueberries, and blackberries were all listed as prime ingredients. Especially base quality produce as the jelly sells for two-and-a-half times the base value of the initial product. It takes two days to make the jelly or pickles.”

“I suppose it takes some weird stuff we don’t have yet to build one.”

Thane smirked and pointed to the woodpile. “We have everything here. I will take the wood to Robin’s in the morning to cut into planks. When you stop by Pierre’s, buy the jelly and pickle jars it asks for. Before we leave to go to the saloon, we should have the jars up and running.”

He grunted when he found his arms full of Shepard, then groaned when her lips met his. He twisted and laid her gently on the porch, his lips never left hers.

He hissed when her hand grabbed his and held it still when he went to unbutton her pants. “We can’t Thane.”

“Why not, Siha? You were enjoying my kisses, my touches to your body until now.”

Shepard’s face turned a fiery red and she could only hope he couldn’t tell because of the darkness and the only light coming from the nearby campfire.

“Now’s not a good time. We can’t…”

He stared down at her, still not understanding.

She cleared her throat, “Human females have a certain time of the month when, mostly, sexual activity isn’t desired.”

He stared.

“I’m having my period, alright! Apparently, when the damn wizard said none of the cybernetics came through with me, he also meant the fucking implants too. It left my birth control and menses regulators behind. You’re human now, and that means no sex during parts of the month until I can get up the nerve to go see Doctor Harvey for this world’s birth control devices.”

Thane stiffened and leaned away from her before sitting up. “I see. Then it would be best to not partake in any physical contact until we remove the possibility of pregnancy.” He stood up, walked down the stairs and crouched near the fire to check their dinners.

Shepard closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands before sitting up and joining him by the fire. She should have known not to mention children. Sometimes he lapsed into solipsism and his memories turned to Kolyat and Irikah.


	14. Let There Be Light!

* * *

It took the rest of the week for them to fish, mine, harvest and forage enough stuff to make the amount of Gs Robin wanted to wire the farmhouse. As soon as they watered the plants and collected the new produce, they cleared the way to the upper pass and followed it to the Carpenter’s shop.

Robin looked up when the door opened, “Good morning. What can I do for you today?”

Thane pulled out one of the paper bags Pierre always put their seed packets in and placed it on the counter. “We’d like to hire you to wire the farmhouse for electricity, please.”

Robin grinned at them and pulled a small notebook out from under the counter. “Let’s see, I can be there first thing in the morning. It will take three days to run the wires from the junction at the bus stop over to your farm. I can wire it for an overhead light, and three outlets. When you purchase further home upgrades, I include the electrical additions. Will there be anything else?”

“Yes. Pierre said you also sell drying racks for tea leaves. Do you have any available?” He asked.

Robin scratched her head then moved over to a large book sitting on a stand at the end of the counter. “This is my furniture catalog. Anything I make, I have listed here. I also sell various blueprints for the do-it-yourself builders. Let’s see… tea leaf drying rack...no, that’s not it…” She flipped a few more pages. “Ah, now I remember. I don’t have one available. I custom make those by modifying the hay drying racks. I sell those too, in case you want to get started drying out the cut grass so you won’t have to purchase it later if you’re thinking about getting farm animals.”

“How much is the tea rack?”

“It’s 750Gs per rack, delivered and set up where you want it. I suggest inside your house since you don’t have a shed right now.”

Thane glanced at Shepard. She shrugged, and he nodded. “We shall take one rack, please.”

“Sure, I can work on it today and bring it with me in the morning.”

He pulled out a different bag from his pack and counted out the paper Gs for her. “Thank you. We shall see you tomorrow.”

Robin smiled at them and placed the money in her register. “After I complete the wiring, I’ll send a message to Mayor Lewis to let him know. Have a great day.”

They waved to Demetrius as he came out of his laboratory near Robin’s carpenter station before they left. Shepard pulled out the pick and sword from Thane’s pack and started off to the mine while Thane headed down the steep path to fish in the ocean.

* * *

  
  


Thane struggled to bring in the fish tugging on his line. He grunted when the phone in his back pocket rang. He reached back and hurried to answer it.

“Krios.”

“Thane, it’s Shepard. You’re never gonna believe what happened.”

“Shepard,” Thane grunted when the fish eased up and he reeled it in, “now’s not a good time,” he said as he tucked the phone between his shoulder and ear.

“You’ve got to hear this. So I was on level four of the mine, clearing the rocks, and when I went toward one of the last ones it came alive. It wasn’t a rock at all, but a crab-like thing camouflaged like a rock. The shell was hard to crack with the sword, but I did it. It would have been a hell of a lot easier if I could have used nova on it… anyway, when it died I picked it up and looked at it in the torchlight. I think the Junimos want it in one of their fish boxes.”

“That’s great, Shepard. One step closer to filling another box.”

“I’m not done telling my story yet, Thane.”

He rolled his eyes, something he could never do as a drell, and muttered an apology as he dropped the halibut into his pack and tossed out the line again.

“So after killing that rock crab thing, I broke a regular stone and found the ladder going down. I thought, why bother clearing out the regular stones on this level when I can see what’s on this new level. So I went down the ladder. When I reached the bottom, I heard this weird dinging sound, and a whirring started up. I looked over to where the noise came from and the lights on the lift lit up and the doors opened. There was this card dangling from a round button which said, ‘Take Me.’ So I took it. There was a small picture on the other side showing how to insert the card into the panel and how to choose a floor.”

“That’s wonderful news, Shepard.”

“Wait, I’m not done yet. So anyway, after killing this slime thing that came at me, I hit a few of those ore rocks and got another couple of pieces of copper. Then I spotted something sparkling near a torch. It was one of those crystal things the wizard had. Only this one is kinda small and has a crack in it, but it should still sell. Right?”

Thane grunted again and dropped the anchovy into the pack. “It should sell, or we could see if Gunther would like it for the museum. I’m sure a better quality one would be worth selling, though.”

He heard her hum into the phone as he tossed out the line again.

“I guess we could donate it. We’ll probably find more down here, anyway. I will clear a few more rocks then head to the community center.”

Thane reeled in another fish as he said, “I’m going there as well. I have many things to recycle. Willy told me a few of the items I caught were edible as is or could be made into a soup or another dish. I’ll work on following Hollander’s directions on building a chest to store our food items in.”

He heard Shepard grunt before a sharp crack of the pick hitting a rock. “Okay, having more to eat would be good. How’s the fishing going?”

“Very well. I caught many small fish to fix with those potatoes we harvested yesterday.”

Shepard groaned, “I hate making potatoes, they take so long to be ready. Why can’t these people have food synthesizers?”

“It wouldn’t taste the same, though. I have come to enjoy the taste of these vegetables over the vat and hydroponically grown ones that are over-processed then flavor-enhanced before being poured into a tube. They do not know how delicious fresh items are, compared to the genetically enhanced, bio-engineered foods.”

“Well, that’s true. And the fresh fish have a taste all their own and not the protein slab used for beef, chicken, fish, egg and other stuff from Earth.”

Thane hummed as he slid the pole back into the slot on his pack.

* * *

Thane stood in front of one of the recycling machines, staring at the strange object. He’d seen nothing like it before. Two large areas reminded him of odd-sized eyes, a slot below them for feeding in the trash items and a large red light situated just above the slit and below the ‘eyes’ right in the middle.

He heard a soft footfall behind him and whirled around. Shepard entered the gated area and approached him. “Hey. I just finished dropping off the crab thing. We only need one more object to fill the crate,” she said before coming to a halt next to him and staring at the machines. “What in the hell are those things? They have faces.”

“So I am not the only one to see the resemblance. These are the recycling machines Robin spoke of. I was about to deposit the first piece of trash I fished out of the water. If you are carrying any, we might as well empty it all while we’re here and open up a few spots in our bags.”

Shepard paused then drew off her pack, she thought about trash items and three pockets opened up. She reached into the first and drew out broken flat disks labeled, ‘JojaNet 2.0 trial CD.’ She took a hesitant step toward one machine and slid the disk into the slot. She jumped back with a “What the fuck” when the light lit up and the machine bounced. A crunching, chewing sound began and several minutes later a large red tongue-like protrusion slid out of the opening with a rectangular, purple object balanced on it. Shepard reached out, grabbed the object, and the tongue slid back into the machine. “That damn thing would frighten even a krogan back home.”

“Oh, I don’t know. I think Grunt would have enjoyed stuffing things inside of it to see what would pop out,” he said as he jammed a wadded up piece of trash in the hole. They waited to see what it would turn into. When the tongue slid out, it precariously balanced three stones on the end.

“Hmm, interesting,” Thane said and shoved a waterlogged piece of wood into the slot.

Shepard shook her head and moved to the next machine over and fed it the rest of the disks. She blinked when a flare of light came from beside her. Thane held up a torch and grinned at her before sliding it into a hole in the fence.

“One of the soggy sheets of newspaper produced three torches. We now have a portable light source other than our lanterns. We need not worry about breaking them in the mine and can leave them at home.”

“I suppose it’s better than using up our chopped wood for a torch when we’re working at night too.”

Thane nodded and fed a pair of broken glasses into the machine.

When they finished, they piled all of their items together. They ended up with: twenty stones, ten pieces of wood, five coal, thirteen purple rectangular pieces, twelve torches, and two chunks of a silvery-colored ore.

“Well, a lot of this is resources which will come in handy. Those purple things I don’t know…,” Shepard said.

“We can ship one out and when we check the receipt, we can tell what it was and if they are worth selling or keeping for later.”

Shepard nodded, tucked everything into her pack, and Thane picked up the torch from the fence.

When they got home, they unloaded their packs after checking the seeds and went to sleep. 


	15. Should It Do That?

* * *

Robin arrived just as Thane and Shepard walked out their door. “Morning,” she said and waved to them as she set a tall ladder against the side of their house. “I’m running the main wires now. I’ll have you fixed up by the end of the day. The Mayor donated an old ceiling fan light he had up in his attic. Pierre and Caroline dropped off a floor lamp.” Robin smiled at the looks on their faces and chuckled. “Even George and Evelyn donated something when everyone heard you were fixing this old place up. Most of the townspeople thought you’d leave after the first week because of the conditions here, and all the hard work it will take to make this place into a decent home. They know differently now.”

Shepard opened the mailbox. She saw a letter stuffed in the back. She reached in and took it out. “That Marlon guy sent us something. He says congratulations on reaching level five of the mine. We’ve proved we can handle ourselves on the low-level monsters. If we’re interested in joining the Adventurer’s Guild, we need to kill ten green slimes, then go to see him at the guildhall. They’re open every day from 2 pm until 8 pm. He included a strange card, too. He says just like the lift key keeps track of how many floors we clear, this card will keep a kill count of all the monsters.”

Thane nodded and removed the watering can from the hook on his pack.

Thane and Shepard went to water their plants and watched Robin check the stability of the new electric pole she installed the previous day at the border of their property and the lane into town, then quickly climbed up to the top to drop a heavy-looking coil of black-coated wiring to the ground. Within minutes she was already down the tall pole and on the roof of their shack.

“She doesn’t mess around, does she?” Shepard said as she dumped water on a green bean trellis.

“No, she does not. I was thinking we should plant some other seeds Pierre offers. Short-term growth, ten days or below and a single harvest. We can see what brings in the most Gs. We should also sit down and discuss what we would like to do with the farm in the long-term. It makes little sense to just plant anything and hope we make a profit.”

Shepard stood up and handed him the can so he could water the row of parsnips. “What do you mean? We’ve been doing okay so far. With the addition of those Preserves Jars, we should do much better.”

“True, Shepard. But we ship things out, which we cannot use. Maybe if we figure out what would make the most profit, what the town needs which we could supply, and what would be decent Gs making items during the Market Festival we can prepare early. Even though Marnie believes the sales would drop because of a couple of incidents here, I think we could still do well at the Festival if we stock what people would want. That is what many stores did on various worlds.

“In between jobs I would wander around the area to be seen, so when I left word would spread and those after me would follow to limit possible collateral damage. I spent time in stores, bars, various clubs watching what people bought and noticing certain items were well stocked and others only had a limited variety. Those which were well stocked were the most popular items.”

“So find out what the local business would purchase from us for the highest amount and concentrate on those. We already know Pierre would buy all the honey we could bring to him.”

Thane refilled the water can and handed it back to her with a nod. “Correct. So bee houses… hives, and flowers to make the flavored honey. I wonder if they will purchase jelly and pickles from us? I enjoy the potatoes and cauliflower from this season.”

“I like the green beans and even the potatoes once in a while. But I’m really tired of parsnips.”

Thane chuckled and voiced his agreement.

“Okay, I’ll stop in at Pierre’s while you go up to the Carpenter’s shop and cut those planks. Robin won’t mind you using the saw, will she?”

Thane shook his head. “I already asked her how to use it for when I was ready to make chests. She told me the planks stack inside my pack and will only take up one pocket. She has all the tools available at the shop in the area set aside for, as she calls them, D-I-Y’ers.”

They watered the last of the plants, and Shepard shouldered her pack. “I’ll head into town now and hit up Pierre’s after I check the beach. Depending on what I find, I’ll either come back here and plant the new seeds or maybe do some fishing. I’ll see you later tonight.”

She turned away, but he stopped her with a soft call of her name. “I apologize for the other evening. I should not have left you lying on the porch that way and walked off. I—I wasn’t a good father to Kolyat. I do not wish to repeat my mistakes. Especially in this strange place. I hope you can understand.”

“Don’t worry about it, Thane. I understand. I know you miss your son. I hear your memories; you wonder if he’s alive, or with your wife on Kalahira’s shore. You wonder if they know what happened to you, or if they even know you’re not there with them. It’s understandable. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

Thane stood silently as he watched her go. His fists curled, and the short, human nails bit into his palms. He heaved a sigh, grabbed his pack and began throwing chunks of wood into it. He didn’t see Robin standing on the roof, looking at him and wondering what the scene was about.

* * *

Shepard gathered up the items scattered around the beach and stopped to talk to Elliot as he left his small house. “What happened to the bridge to go over to the other side of the beach?”

He shrugged, “I don’t know. It was like that when I moved in a few seasons before you arrived.”

She thanked him, then walked back to the bridge into town. She stopped to talk to Evelyn about the flowers growing in the town square before continuing on to Pierre’s.

The shop owner looked up when she walked into the store. “Good afternoon, Shepard. What can I help you with today?”

She placed a daffodil on the counter then asked him what short-term seeds he sold they haven’t planted yet.

“Well, let’s see,” he said as he brought out a catalog from under the counter. He flipped toward the center of the large book and turned it toward her, “Here is the full listing of all the seeds and tree saplings I have or will have when my shipments come in. It lists growth time, seed price, and the prices I pay for the produce quality. Why don’t you look it over and tell me if you see anything you’re interested in?”

Pierre helped Gus with his purchase, then Abigail, Pierre’s daughter, sauntered out from behind the door which led to their living quarters and wandered over to poke at a few vegetables before walking out the door. Shepard glanced up when she heard Pierre sigh.

“Did you find anything, Shepard?”

“Yes, let me have three of the jazz flower seeds, three of the pink cat flowers, and three kale.” She leaned in closer, “Also when this says coffee bean seeds… does it really mean coffee beans to make coffee with or is it some strange thing?” she asked in a low whisper.

Pierre glanced around and nodded, “Actual coffee beans. They produce through spring and summer. Unless you have one already, you need to figure out a way to get to town to buy a coffee maker. I don’t sell them here… you could get one from the JojaMart. I don’t know how long it’ll last you. I remember my dad telling me Hollander once made them coffee using a keg he had in his barn… not sure what that was all about though.”

Shepard frowned, “Damn it. We just figured out about the Preserves Jars, which reminds me we need the jars and stuff that goes with it for both jelly and pickles. I could use some coffee. I’ve never had real coffee, only the fake stuff they had where we come from.”

“You’re making jelly and pickles? Bring them by when you have some ready, I’ll buy them from you. Harvey is always in here asking for pickled vegetables, and Caroline and I miss good jelly. My parents always bought up Hollander’s jelly when he brought it into town and during the Fall Market festival when he sold things. The few jars we make to sell are usually gone by the end of the day, but Caroline is always too busy to make it, and I can’t tend the garden, and the store, and make the jelly too.”

Shepard nodded, “We’re already planning on starting the honey production so we’ll add more jelly and pickles in when we can. Our honey business will be small because we haven’t gotten the stuff yet to make the hives. Robin told Thane about how to get maple syrup, but we’ve only found two pieces of iron ore and we need three more just to smelt down to make a single bar.”

Pierre frowned as he thought, “Go see Clint, ask him what levels in the mine are more likely to have the ore.”

Pierre tapped on the countertop, “Wait here a second, Shepard.”

He hurried from the storefront and returned several minutes later carrying a small bag. “Listen carefully. Inside this bag are several packets of flower seeds. They’re called Violets. The flower is purple and only grows during the spring. I don’t normally sell these as no one in the past twenty-odd years bought a single packet, even when I put them on sale. But that also means no one will have any honey made using the pollen. Now, keep in mind the honey won’t bring in as much money as it would from the regular flowers and especially not the amount everyone will pay for the fairy rose honey in the fall.

“You can have these seeds for free. Plant them next spring when you have your hives going and bring me several jars of the honey to sell. Let’s see how everyone likes your Serenity Gardens Exclusive Honey. People seemed to home in on the word exclusive and buy the thing without a second thought,” he said as he grinned at her.

“If people ask for more, then you know you’ve got a solid, exclusive product, and you need not tell them it’s made with violet pollen. Since I doubt anyone even knows about violets here in the valley, they’d never expect you’d grow any.”

Shepard nodded and noted everything on her phone before grinning at Pierre and loading the case of pickle and jelly jars and lids into her pack.

After dropping the last item the Junimos asked for into one of the fishing boxes, and the remaining cauliflower from the previous day’s harvest into the other box, she waited as the Junimos popped into the room and followed them out to the main area. She watched another Junimo head down a different hallway. It waited until she followed it down a set of steps and into a darkened room. She lit a torch and saw an old machine along one wall. When she picked up the gold scroll from the floor, she found out it was actually a boiler which would provide much-needed heat and hot water in the wintertime.

She left the torch in a bracket on the wall and went back up the stairs. As she moved down the hallway, a silver Junimo popped into existence in front of a messy section of the wall covered in dusty old notices. It tossed a golden scroll onto the wall below the mess; where it stuck. She read it over and saw it was an old bulletin board full of requested items which no one bothered to fill.

She glanced down at her feet as she heard another sproing sound and saw a purple Junimo bounce into the room next to her. A broken table, a dead plant, and a safe with its door partially ripped off was in the room covered in cobwebs.

She opened the small journal and flipped through the new pages. She found the one marked Vault Room. In tiny print, it read, “We Junimos promise to fix the bus to the Calico Desert in exchange for many Gs.”

“Many Gs are right. If my math is right, you guys want 42,500 Gs total. I don’t know if we will be able to do that anytime soon.”

She started toward the door when two Junimos bounced toward her, each carrying a wrapped box. She knelt down and opened them. The first contained several small purple boxes. She pulled one out and read the label. “Speed-Gro; Stimulates leaf production. Guaranteed to increase the growth rate by at least 10%. Mix into tilled soil. Does not reduce the time between harvests for multi-harvest crops. Hmm, thanks guys, these will come in handy next season.”

She opened the other box, peered inside, then scratched her jaw. She pulled out a red box with thin metal bars connecting the top and bottom. There were three such devices in the box. “You could have left me a small note or something to tell me what the heck these things are.”

She didn’t get an answer nor did one of the Junimos come bouncing up to hand her a scroll with the answer on it, so she put the lid back on the box and put them both in her pack. She figured those strange devices came from finishing the fish box, so she headed toward Willy’s shop after leaving the community center.

Willy was locking his door as Shepard called out his name.

“Well hello there, I’m just closing the shop so I can do a bit of fishing before heading to the saloon.”

“I’m sorry to bother you, I don’t need to buy anything, but I have a question.”

Willy put his bucket down and baited his hook while she rooted through her pack and brought out one of the items the Junimos gave her.

“Do you know what this is?”

“Aye. That’s a crab pot. A trap for catching small crustaceans, snails, lobsters, and the like. You attach it to a chain and place it in a body of water, like the ocean, put in a piece of bait and come back the next day. Sometimes you’ll get something like a clam or sometimes you’ll get a lobster to cook and eat, and sometimes a hunk of trash will get stuck in there. If you place one in a river or lake you’ll get snails, periwinkles, crayfish, and sometimes trash as well. You must get a source of bait or buy some for them to be of use to you, though. And regular fish can’t be caught in them, you must use the fishing pole for those.”

Shepard looked over the crab pot again, then put it back in her pack. “I’ll stop by soon to get more bait.”

“Aye, got plenty in stock. When you’re ready to get a better fishing pole, stop on in and I’ll explain about tackle,” Willy said.

Shepard nodded, then checked the time on her phone before heading home to plant the new seeds.

* * *

  
  


Thane picked up several items along the path towards Robin’s Carpentry shop. Demetrius stood under a tree outside their house. Thane stopped to speak with him before going to use the tools Robin provided.

As he began feeding the wood into the saw machine, he thought back to the incident with Shepard a few nights ago. Shepard finally opened up to him, and he reacted badly to the news of her possibly becoming pregnant if they resume their sexual relationship. He loved her, but he still regretted the decisions he made in the past with his wife, Irikah, and their son Kolyat.

If he hadn’t fallen back into the battle sleep and began taking jobs further and further away from home, if he had not been so sure no one would risk tracking down who took the contract on several criminals, then maybe she would have lived. Instead, his wife was murdered while their son hid in a small vent and watched the horrors done to his mother. All while Thane was once again away on business.

When the relationship between Shepard and him blossomed from a deep friendship into something more, neither one worried about pregnancy, disease, or anything worse than the slight hallucinations Shepard could experience because of his natural drell venom, and skin rashes from prolonged contact between them. Now, they couldn’t… no, he wouldn’t take the chance of creating a child with her.

He slammed a piece of wood into the slot before he closed his eyes and prayed she could forgive him for his selfishness.

* * *

Sebastian heard someone working in the shed as he left the house to have a smoke. He peeked around the corner and saw Thane standing there with a book in one hand and a hammer in the other. A large pile of planks lay at his feet.

“Hey Dude, what’s going on?”

Thane glanced up and smiled at the youth. “Good afternoon, Sebastian. I am attempting to build a chest and a Preserves Jar following the directions in Hollander’s crafting manual. However, since I have built nothing like this before, I am finding it difficult.”

Sebastian paused for a moment, then tucked the pack of cigarettes back into his hoodie and walked into the shed. “Here, let me see,” he said as he reached for the book.

He skimmed over the directions for the chest then reached into his front pocket, bringing out a hair tie. “I used to watch my mom build stuff when I was younger, but she made nothing like this.” Sebastian reached for the hammer and laid it down before looking through the lumber to find two pieces described in the book and fitted them together. He showed Thane how to assemble a few more before he left Thane to finish the chest while he moved onto the more complicated Preserves Jar.

Thane was helping to fit the lid on the Jar when Sebastian started coughing and pointed behind Thane. He turned around and what was once a wooden box was now a chest banded with iron straps. There was even a small lock with a key sticking from it.

“What the hell, man?”

Thane shrugged. “I do not know. The same strange behavior happened earlier when I followed the directions to build a scarecrow. It was a stick with fiber wrapped around it when I left for a few moments. When I entered the home again, it was completely different.”

Sebastian shook his head and handed the small book back to Thane. “That’s all there is, Dude. You should be able to make more of those things yourself now.”

“I thank you for your assistance.”

Sebastian untied his hair and ruffled it. “No problem. Mom said she’s hooking you up for electricity. When you’re ready to get on the net, call me and I’ll get you set up, it’s free so don’t worry about having to come up with the Gs for it. And if you’re ever in the market for a professionally done website to offer your stuff for sale or whatever, I charge a reasonable rate to make and maintain it.”

Thane paused as he bent to pick up the chest. “This website you mentioned. Would it also be capable of accepting orders for items?”

“Sure. I can set up secure shopping carts, inventory programs which will auto-update the available stock on the web so they’ll be no back-orders. I can even set you up with custom graphics. Each set is individualized so you won’t have to worry about one of the others here having an identical website as you. I secure each site from hacking by the top of the line security and virus protection software,” he shrugged, “I can make pretty much anything you’d ask for.”

Thane shifted the chest to a table and began opening the pack to figure out how to get a rather large chest into the small pack.

“Like this man, watch,” Sebastian said as he flattened the bag and spread the opening as wide as it could go. “Grab the other end and help me move it to sit right on top of the bag.” As soon as they both let go of the chest, it wobbled, then slid into the bag.

“That is quite extraordinary. I must admit, I did not believe Robin when she told me these large items could fit into such a small bag.”

Sebastian snorted, “When I was in Zuzu City with Sam a couple of times, we saw men struggling with trying to carry some stuff the valley people would just slide into their packs. We thought it was crazy, but Mayor Lewis explained to us about the Wizard and what he does to the packs Pierre buys and sells to us here. Makes life easier for people like my mom, I guess; not having to carry or move all that heavy furniture by herself.”

Thane hummed and nodded, “Yes, I can see how something of this nature would be of tremendous help to her. Once again, I thank you for your assistance. Oh, I would ask that you do not mention the machine you helped build to anyone else. It is… well, let’s call it a proprietary business invention.”

Sebastian rubbed his jaw before nodding, “Sure, Dude. I better get back to work. When you go to unload those things, they’ll remain small until you set them on the ground. So make sure you leave them in there until you figure out where you want to set them up at. It’ll save your back and time. See you around, Thane.”

Thane absently nodded as he knelt to lay out the bag on the floor. He grunted as he picked up the strange machine, which looked like a giant barrel with a knob-top lid on it and lowered it on the bag’s opening. As soon as he let go of it, the machine shrank and fell into the bag.

Thane built the second jar system. Two hours later he added it to his bag as well and gathered up the rest of the lumber before he cleaned up the work area and left to go home.

* * *

  
  


When Thane arrived back at the farm, Shepard stood in the cleared section of the field with the watering can in her hand. He noticed an area of freshly tilled soil.

“I am home, Shepard. What did you find at Pierre’s?”

Shepard looked up at him before pouring more water on a mound of dirt. She rattled off the seeds she purchased, then told him about the violet seeds Pierre gave them for free.

“Do you believe his reasons for using the seeds for our exclusive honey?”

“You’ve studied humans, Thane. Humans are strange. The terms exclusive, limited quantity, limited-time-only are used in sales, and we flock to them. You’ve been on the Citadel when the stores announced those sales. Hell, you were there when one of Garrus’ favorite liquor stores advertised a going out of business sale with exclusive bottles of liquor found nowhere else on the Citadel. Not only was the place flooded with turians, but humans were there buying everything not nailed down even though drinking it would make us sick.”

“I’ve studied humans only so far as to know how to kill them quickly and their basic behaviors. Not necessarily their particular shopping habits.”

Shepard shrugged, “It’s a psychological thing. We see those words and it triggers something in our brains that tells us we just have to have one before they’re all gone.”

“I see. So other than the violet seeds, there are three other flower varieties for this season?”

Shepard nodded and dug out her phone from her pocket, where she made notes of all the seeds Pierre had available for Spring and Summer seasons.

“Yeah. What are you thinking?”

“If what you say is true about human purchasing behavior, then having limited quantities of floral honeys will ensure they all sell. The violet honey will only be available for one season as it is, maybe double the amount of hives for that particular area, a set amount for each of the other areas per season. We can assume the more expensive the flower, the more expensive the honey that comes from it.”

Shepard wiped the back of her hand over her forehead. “Now that you mention it, Pierre hinted about something called a fairy rose creating a honey people would pay a large amount of Gs for. He said it grew only in the Fall though, and if the growth rate is like the tulips, then we won’t have any of the honey to sell at market.”

Thane smiled, “Not this year. If we stockpile it for next year, keeping a certain amount of each type of honey we produce each season, then our Market stall will be well-stocked with any type a consumer would want. Along with some flowers. I’m sure they would sell as well.”

“And pickles and jelly, too. Maybe you’re right, maybe we can do this.”

Thane nodded, “Speaking of pickles and jelly, I have two of the jar systems made and a chest as well. If you wouldn’t mind helping me to find a sheltered place for them to set up, we can get them started. Then we should go to the saloon, maybe we can hear of some other ways to make Gs there.”

Shepard snorted, “I need to clean up first. I’m sweating worse than I did after clearing a merc base.”

* * *

  
  


Thane pulled out the chest, and they looked it over. He described what happened when he had his back turned toward it. Shepard scratched her head. “Well, it looks sturdy at least. Do you have the potion the wizard sent us?”

Thane dug it out of his pack and scraped off the wax seal. Shepard opened the lid of the chest, and Thane carefully dripped a single drop into the corner. Shepard closed the lid and waited for something to happen.

“Huh, guess the potion is a flop.”

“The wizard said it needed at least two chests, and I only built one this time since we also needed more wood to build both jar systems.”

“Okay. But he also said we could paint it. But I don’t see how we could paint it bright colors and not have someone see it.”

Thane shrugged and dug out the leftover items from his pack. “Might as well store the crafting supplies in this chest and leave it here by the fence, it’ll be near the house and road.”

Shepard went to gather the rest of the stones. When she returned, she noticed Thane just standing there staring at the chest.

“Thane what’s going on now?” she asked as she came to stand beside him and stopped. A small Junimo bounced on the lid of the chest with a scroll laying beside him and a paintbrush in its hand.

“Why are we still surprised when we see these things?” she muttered, then reached for the scroll.

“Chosen ones, this Junimo will answer the summons of the potion. Choose the color and name of the chest made with the wood of the forest.” Shepard unrolled the scroll further and there were twenty colors for them to choose from.

They chose a dark blue and pointed to the color on the scroll. “Crafting Supplies,” Shepard said. The Junimo bounced a few times and made a chirping sort of squeak as it waved the paintbrush around. Shepard and Thane blinked when the wood of the chest turned from dark brown to a dark, rich blue. The iron straps, lock, and the key turned gold-colored and the name of the chest appeared below the lock in the same gold coloring, then the Junimo gave one more bounce and disappeared with a warble and sproing.

Thane cleared his throat and muttered something under his breath before they moved to the side of the house. They could hear Robin still inside banging and the sound of power tools going. When they got to a spot protected from the rain by a tree, Thane laid the pack on the ground and reached in for the first of the Preserves Jars. He set it down where Shepard indicated then stumbled back as it grew to its full size.

“This is not what I built,” he said as the wooden jar system settled into place. A conveyor-style belt and wooden guide system looped around from behind the unit toward the front and stopped under a wooden door he knew he didn’t add to the barrel. A wooden crate and small lift system sat below the door.

Thane placed the other one next to it and it also changed from a barrel with a lid to a complex preserve and jarring system. Shepard loaded several jars into the slots on the back of the systems while Thane retrieved a salmonberry and a parsnip from the basket they kept their food supplies in.

Thane handed the parsnip to Shepard. They looked at each other, then gave dubious looks at the machinery. “Well, here goes nothing,” Shepard said and lifted the top off the machine. Inside was a small basket. She placed the parsnip into the basket and put the lid back on. A few seconds later she gave a startled leap backward as the barrel part of the machine bounced and rock.

Thane placed the berry inside his, and the machine did the same thing.

“Thane? Should it do that?” Shepard asked as the lid of the machine popped into the air, spun in a circle, and landed back on the bouncing machine again.

“I… have no fucking idea.”

Shepard blinked and stared at Thane. His eyes never left the machines as they bounced, rocked, and shot their lids in the air.


	16. Friday Night At The Stardrop Saloon

* * *

Robin swung the door open and walked around the back of the house, she did a double-take when a lid flew in the air and landed with a quiet thump back on a machine Shepard and Thane were staring at.

“You’re all set with electricity now. Come on in and I’ll show you where the outlets are.”

Robin followed them inside the shack and flipped on the light switch next to the door. The overhead light turned on and the fan turned slowly to circulate the air. “The floor lamp can be used if you just want a little light, like when you’re getting ready for bed. George and Evelyn donated their old TV set. It’s black and white and the picture’s probably pretty bad on it, but at least you’ll be able to get the weather, seasonal foraging hints, recipes and of course,Welwick’s luck forecast.” Robin reached over and pushed a button on the old set, then twisted the knob as Thane watched her. She fiddled with the wires coming out of the top and turned the knob again before a snowy picture of a man came on and told them the next day’s weather.

“I prefer the radio, but this is the only way to watch Queen of Sauce and learn some cooking recipes. Well, that’s it. I better head on out to met Demetrius at the saloon.”

Shepard nodded and reached out to turn the knob on the TV as Thane thanked Robin. “We are heading to the saloon as well. Perhaps we shall see you there.”

Robin waved as she closed the door. A moment later they heard her truck start and begin rumbling down the pitted road back to town.

By the time they washed up, changed into their last set of clean clothes, and emptied their packs, it was already growing dark. Thane picked up a torch from the bundle lying in the corner and lit it using the one they slid into a small crack in the porch railing and shored up with stones. When they found the torches never died out, they placed a few along the fence at the entrance to the farm as well.

“You know, Thane,” Shepard said as they walked toward town. “I was thinking we need to work harder on clearing the farm. As it is now, I wouldn’t call it improved by much.”

Thane hummed, then agreed with her. “Marnie told us about needing hay for animals, and Robin mentioned she sold hay drying racks. She said they are for drying the grass we cut. Perhaps we should invest in one of those and dry the grass as we go. Clearing grass and weeds were the easiest part, it’s the rocks and trees which will take time.”

“That’s true. Now that we have the chest, we have a handy place to store all the resources instead of leaving it piled up all over the place.”

He nodded and calculated how many pieces of wood he would need to build a chest for the community center and another one to hide somewhere inside Robin’s shed or near the counter to store the building supplies she listed for the upgrades. By the time they made it to the saloon, Thane knew they would need to cut down a minimum of seven fully grown trees for those two chests. Double that if they wanted to add another Preserves Jar.

“I think tomorrow I will begin clearing the branches and trees on the farm if you wouldn’t mind going to the mine since we are short five more pieces of copper just to build the furnace. We need the copper bars to upgrade those tools to make our job easier.”

Shepard nodded her agreement and opened the door to the noisy saloon.

* * *

Half the town folk was packed into the large saloon. Everyone began calling out their greetings or waving. Shane caught their eye and the normally taciturn man raised a mug at them before going back to his normal scowling.

They made the rounds to talk to everyone before Shepard stopped to ask Clint about the iron ore, and Thane got them two seats at a table Leah just vacated.

Shepard slid into a chair next to Thane and Emily hurried over to the table. “What can I get you two?” she said as she handed them a menu.

They scanned it over quickly, noting the high prices of the cooked food. Thane wrinkled his forehead, “What is spaghetti?”

Emily’s eyebrows shot up. “It’s a pasta dish made with noodles, tomato sauce, and cheese.”

Thane hummed. He still did not understand what it was.

Shepard glanced at him, and he furrowed his forehead again.

“We’ll take a cheese pizza to split and a beer for me and hot tea for him.”

“We don’t have any hot tea. We have coffee, though.”

Shepard perked up and looked back at the price of coffee. It was 300Gs for a single cup. She groaned.

“I shall have a beer as well. Thank you, Emily.”

Shepard’s mouth gaped open as she looked at Thane. He didn’t drink. Ever.

“What the hell’s that about? You don’t drink.”

Thane shrugged. “I do not. I’ve used alcohol to dull the senses of my targets, though. It made them sloppy, open to suggestions and looser of the tongue when I needed information. I have had a change of… employment since then. I needed my senses clear and sharp during the missions. The missions are over, and the worse thing we have to worry about outside of the mines is a rabbit jumping out of a bush and startling us. Now is a good time to see what all the fuss you and Garrus went on about during your drunken, mainly incoherent ramblings about the many types of alcohol you’ve consumed.”

Shepard’s eyes narrowed at him and he was saved from hearing her tirade by Emily, who placed two large, frothy mugs in front of them. “Your pizza will be ready shortly.”

“What did Clint tell you about the iron ore?” Thane asked as he glanced around the saloon.

Shepard sighed and rubbed her forehead, “He said it’s usually around level 40 or so when the iron shows up. We’re only on level six. It will take forever.”

Thane reached for the mug in front of him and after taking a sniff of the brew and wrinkling his nose, he took a tentative sip. “I suppose it may be better to break the ore rocks and only enough of the regular rocks to uncover the ladders and descend as quickly as we can.”

Shepard drank some beer and waited until after Emily sat the piping hot pizza on their table and left. “I guess so. It just seems a waste to leave all those stones there. We may need them for something later.”

She slid the pizza server under the first slice and lifted it out of the pan. The cheese stretched and finally broke as she placed it on his plate. She served herself a slice, and they dug in to enjoy it while it was hot from the oven.

“We have plenty of stones around the farm to break down and can always go back to the upper levels of the mines for more, Shepard,” Thane said after he took another sip of his beer.

“I guess so. Having the lift working for us helps too. I’ll see if I can’t get to level ten tomorrow. If we can do five levels per day, we can get down there before the beginning of summer. Maybe we can get a beehive by then too.”

“We’ll switch off. We also need to get as much of the other stuff cleared out of the area we will use for our food by the end of the season as well. From the listing you made from Pierre’s catalog, there are a great many plants for next season.”

Shepard grunted and wiggled the phone out of her pocket. “There are fourteen different plants. Not including the trees. Not all of them are food, though. We should talk with Pierre to see which would be the best choices to start off with.”

They stood and Emily hurried over with their bill, “Just pay Gus at the counter.”

Thane dug out the paper bag from his pack and handed over the Gs for their meal. After a round of goodbyes, they closed the door behind them and grabbed their torch from where they stuck it in an empty flowerpot next to the door and started the walk back home.


	17. Flower Dance Festival

* * *

Thane and Shepard worked hard over the next few days. The radio announced they would hold the annual Flower Dance the following day in a meadow far to the west of Marnie’s ranch. Shepard groaned when it said the dance would start at 9 am and they would need to be there by 2 pm if they wanted to take part in the lunch provided by Gus and the day’s activities. The festival would end at 10 pm.

“A dance… really? Why don’t we skip this one, Thane?” Shepard said as she slid the pack on her back. “There’s still so much to do, and we’ve got only a few days left before the season changes.”

“I do not think skipping a festival would endear us to the community, Shepard. They are not asking you to dance. We’ll go and talk to everyone, get some of Gus’s fine food, and watch the others.”

They hurried through watering the few remaining crops they had. Before leaving the farm, Shepard stood on her tiptoes to kiss Thane and sighed as he turned his face to the side. Instead of his lips, she kissed his cheek. “I’ll be home late tonight, Thane. Don’t wait up for me,” she said, then hurried toward the shortcut to the mountain path.

Thane watched her go. He wanted to call her back, but he kept his jaw firmly clenched. Until they resolved the possibility of pregnancy, he would not let himself react to her. He still desired her, still loved her, but would not take the chance of a child. He already proved he was not father material.

He picked up the axe and started for the next section of trees he wanted to clear.

Thane took a break in the afternoon and checked the time on his phone. No missed messages, no missed calls. By now, Shepard would have called to tell him of some strange object or encounter with a monster she had. But nothing.

After he ate, he loaded his bag with wood and the two copper bars they could smelt from their mini-furnace and headed off to Robin’s to make something called a tapper for a tree. Apparently, maple syrup comes from inside of maple trees.

As he walked down the path toward the Carpenter’s shop, he lapsed into the memory of when he pulled out the mini-furnace and placed it near the fence. What he built looked like a metal box with a giant door on it. What he pulled out looked like a copper-lined stone fireplace with a melting pot and metal mold attached to it. They had just enough copper ore left over to smelt a single bar that night. The heat pouring off the furnace made them decide to stretch the clothesline between several placed fence posts around it; they woke up to a week’s worth of laundry dried overnight.

* * *

When he opened the door to the shed, he saw Robin inside sharpening her ax. It would be a perfect opportunity to put together the chest and hide it between the couch and houseplant inside her shop. Thane smiled at her and built the chest as fast as he could. When he finished, he told her he’d be back to clean up his mess, he still had a few things he needed to do yet, then hurried outside.

After opening the shop door, he peered around. He heard Maru and Demetrius off to the side in the laboratory part of the shop. Thane took out the chest and slid it into place, then took out the potion. He dripped one drop into the inside corner and closed the lid. A moment later the Junimo popped in and Thane whispered “Carpenter Shop” as he pointed to the gray color block. The Junimo waved the paintbrush around and a few seconds later the gray chest with the gold-colored banding was ready to be filled with the supplies Robin would need to upgrade their farm with.

Thane heard a noise from the lower level and hurried over to where the catalog lay on the counter and flipped through it.

“Hey, dude. Mom’s not working today. She’s probably out in the shed or chopping down trees somewhere,” Sebastian said, as he scratched his head and ruffled his hair.

“Good afternoon, Sebastian. She’s in the shed, actually. I came in to check how much a few pieces of furniture would cost as we do not own so much as a chair at the moment.”

Sebastian grunted, “I need a smoke. See ya later, Thane.” Sebastian didn’t so much as glance at the chest as he walked by it to go outside. Thane let out the breath he held, then shook his head. He glanced down at the page before him. On it was several tables and chair combinations with a vast array of different colored wood or paint coloration. He rubbed a hand over his face and sighed. Then he went back to the shed to build another chest and a tapper for their farm.

Once Thane found a maple tree on their farm, he used the blunt end of the ax to hammer the spike into the tree. When he pulled it out, a thick, viscous fluid gathered near the opening. He wedged the spout of the tapper into the hole, then hung the wooden holder on the tapper, and attached the container to hold the syrup. He grunted as the twisting top of the spout stuck for a second before turning. He waited a moment and heard the first drop hit the bottom of the glass container.

Thane pulled out his phone again and looked at the time. The digital display read 6:10 pm. Shepard usually returned by now, even when she said it would be a late night. He frowned and looked down the road to town. When he didn’t see anyone, he gathered the supplies for dinner and hoped she’d make it back before it either dried out from overcooking or got cold from sitting near an extinguished campfire.

* * *

Shepard groaned as she cleared another set of rocks from the mine floor. She cursed the fortune teller with every other breath. She knew the whole luck thing was a phony, but each time she came into the mine when the TV said the spirits were not happy she always ended up not finding the ladder until almost the very last rock or she came away with nothing but stones, slime, and a handful of fiber pieces.

This time it was worse. After taking the lift down to the twentieth level, she worked her way down three floors and then ran into a floor with an odd greenish tint. Slimes, rock crabs, and enormous flying insects infested the area with no ores and very few rocks insight. Of course, she was too busy fighting hordes of monsters to look carefully. She swung her steel smallsword as fast as she could to ward off the insects and knock the slimes away from her until she spotted an already exposed ladder in the far corner of the alcove she was searching.

One last grunt and swing, then she ran toward the ladder and hurried down it.

When she made it to the 25th level, she heard a ding to let her know the lift and key card registered the level and she groaned as she heard the buzzing of a giant bug nearby. She dug in her pack and took out one of the last remaining field ration bars, made a quick note in her phone to ask Robin where she got them from, then hefted her pick. She moved around several stones and brought it down on a reddish-brown stone that would sometimes drop ore when it broke.

She tried to be methodical in how she cleared the stones. She’d search the level, getting rid of all the monsters first. Then clear the rocks and pick up the quartz or a stone Gunther called an Earth Crystal when she dropped one off a few days ago to the museum, if one was lying on the floor.

She slashed out against the bug; it fell to the ground, and she bent over to pick up something that dropped from it. The object looked like a pinkish blob of meat; she shivered as she dropped it into a pocket in her pack. Shepard found the next ladder and sighed as she went down.

Shepard stopped when she reached level 30 and yawned. She ached all over. A quick glance at her phone told her it was almost 11 pm, and she hissed. Shepard pushed the call button on the lift and waited for the doors to open. A few seconds later it started to the top of the mine.

It was after midnight before she made it to the farm and unloaded her pack. She stored everything to use for crafting inside the appropriate chest. The oddball stuff she put into a different one she called Miscellaneous. The ores and coal into the chest next to the furnace.

She trudged up the steps and slid the torch into the slot on the railing and went inside.

She undressed and put a long shirt on when Thane whispered. “Where have you been, Shepard?”

Shepard tensed up when he startled her. “Working in the mine. I’ve cleared it to level 30. We might make it to level forty by the time summer gets here.”

“Your dinner is cold. You should have called and said you would be very late tonight. I would have held off making something.”

Shepard sighed and crawled into her bedroll and zipped it up. “Stop nagging. I’m tired. I’ll sit it next to the furnace in the morning to warm up. Thanks for making it. Good night.”

Thane eased down from his sitting position and got into his own bedroll. He hadn’t failed to notice the way they kept getting further and further apart. She no longer snuggled against him; she wrapped herself up in the bedding instead.

* * *

  
  


The day dawned clear with the sun shining brightly. Shepard reached out and grabbed for her phone. It was then she remembered she hadn’t plug it in the night before. She unzipped her bag and stumbled over to the dirt and grime covered clothing she piled next to the washtub and took out her phone. She plugged it into the charger and dressed in the cleanest of the as yet unwashed clothes she had and picked up her bag.

Thane sat on the porch step and glanced up when she came out. “I’ve already watered the few remaining plants, Shepard. Why don’t you go eat? The timer for the pickles and jelly will be finished in under thirty minutes so we can start more going. We have plenty of salmonberries but are almost out of pickling vegetables. If my calculations are correct, tomorrow will be the last harvest for the green beans and we can remove those plants and concentrate on clearing the area.”

Shepard stepped off the last stair as she said. “Alright, but we’re still ten levels short on reaching the iron ore levels, so two more days if we do short ones. Or I can go back and try to get all ten tomorrow while you clear the area.”

When she came back and sat on the lowest step with her back to him; he clenched his fist. “The trees are down and branches removed. Well, as many as that old axe could handle. From the amount of copper ore I saw in the furnace chest we should have enough to at least get the ax improved at Clint’s.”

Shepard chewed her reheated potato slices and nodded. “Alright, we’ll clear the area tomorrow then the mine the day after.”

“You need to rest, Shepard. We have plenty of time to make Gs and to improve this farm.”

“We have time that’s true, but I want to get the house improved so we have more room and can get some furniture. I’m tired of sleeping on the floor and not having a table to sit at or something other than a campfire to cook on. And that takes money, a lot of money. The taxes are coming due as well, and we’ve yet to find out how much it will be. Hopefully, we’ll have enough to cover it and be able to buy seeds on the first day of the season.”

As Shepard removed the dry hay and stacked it in the chest, Thane refilled the Preserves Jar and tucked the finished product into his pack. “We should be able to sell the pickles and jelly we saved up this past week to cover at least the best seeds for the coming season.”

Shepard nodded and closed the lid of the chest as the alarm on Thane’s phone sounded. The Flower Dance had started. It would take them over an hour and a half to walk to the meadow.

* * *

They heard the festive music and saw the brightly colored plastic flags flying in the light breeze before they made it the bridge over a crevice and into the meadow. Shepard peeked over the side and saw the deep fissure filled partially with seawater and trash, which washed up into it. She grimaced at the disgusting mess.

As they entered the clearing they saw Pierre had his market stall up and a few people milling around in front of it. They stopped to chat and see what he was selling that day.

“Good morning, no seeds today, I’m afraid. Feel free to look over what I’ve got while I help Miss Penny with her purchase.”

Pierre waved at his goods, and Thane looked over them. A large box, about the height of a man, leaned against the fence behind Pierre.

“What is inside the box if you don’t mind my asking?”

Pierre smiled at Thane. “I don’t mind at all. Inside the box is an extremely rare item. Before Hollander died thirty years ago, he constructed eight special scarecrows. He called them Rarecrows, and each one was different. My father purchased several of them. He meant to sell them in the store, but after Hollander passed away, he kept them as mementos. I found them as I cleaned out the storage attic. I thought I’d bring one of them with me to the festival to see if it sells.”

Thane hummed and waited until Penny completed her purchase. “Would you mind showing it to us? We have Hollander’s crafting book but it doesn’t mention the rarecrows, just a standard scarecrow.”

“Sure. Just so you know, because it’s a rare item, it’s expensive. I’m firm with my selling price of 2,500Gs.”

Shepard gave a low whistle as Pierre lifted the lid from the box. The scarecrow differed completely from the one they had on the farm. A pink bird sat in a nest on top of an iron scroll-worked pole decorated with carved wooden flowers and vines.

“Wow, that’s nice. I can see why you’re charging so much for it,” Shepard said as Pierre replaced the lid. “We can’t afford anything like that right now.”

“Well, there’s always next year,” Pierre said and pointed out the large tubs of flowers sitting to the side of the stand. “Evelyn makes the Tub O’Flowers and they sell for 2,000Gs each or you can buy the crafting blueprint for 1,000Gs to make your own. They’ll stay in bloom for spring and summer and will bloom again next spring. The only other things I have available right now are dandelions and daffodils. Penny bought the last of the small bouquets. I don’t get very many flowers other than the tulips and blue jazz you’ve sold to me.”

Thane made a mental note for next season to add more flowers to their planting list. “If you have a few moments of free time, we would like your advice on next season's crops.”

Pierre looked around and nodded, “I can spare a few minutes. Let’s go get some of Gus’ food. I haven’t eaten since early this morning before loading the cart to bring all this stuff here.”

They spoke to a few people, then when their plates were full they moved closer to the small stream just to the south of the meadow.

“So what is it you want to know about?” Pierre asked.

“Well, as we know next to nothing about any of the foods or plants usually grown here, we don’t know what would be best to grow. Both for our own use, and to sell for a reasonable profit.”

Pierre chewed on the bite of fried zucchini fritter as he thought. “In the summer there are several seeds which will produce every few days once they’re fully grown. I’d go for those first, then add the longer growing time ones as quickly as you can. The quick growers use as fillers. Several plants will continue to produce through the fall as well. Let’s see… start out with corn, blueberries, tomatoes, and peppers. All of those continually produce with corn growing until winter. Blueberries can be eaten as is or turned into jelly, and each harvest yields multiple berries. Corn makes an excellent roast vegetable and pickles. The same goes for the tomatoes and peppers.

“Cotton grows through fall as well, but until you can build a loom and turn it into cloth, all you can do with it is to sell it as is so your profit margin will not be all that great. It is a constant producer, though.

“Melons are extremely popular and sell for a large amount of Gs, but they take quite a while to grow. Don’t bother with hops, wheat, or sunflowers right now since you don’t have a way to refine them into better products. You’ll be better off planting more melons.

“Lettuce, radishes, and tomatoes make a good salad and are fairly cheap to grow so it would be good to have those on hand for you to eat and sell any extras. Hot pepper jelly will fly off the shelf,” Pierre told them, then pointed to where Shane seemed to horde a small jar of red jelly. They watched as he smeared some jelly on a cracker, took a bite, then fanned his mouth and drank a giant gulp of beer before he started the entire process again.

“Shane’s gobbling down the jar of hot pepper jelly I had left in my store. I had it hidden in the pantry so we wouldn’t use it until the festival.”

Thane blinked and nodded. “And flowers? What would be the best ones to grow during summer?”

“Poppies for culinary needs, people use their seeds in muffin recipes, but the flowers themselves are not very popular in the valley. The flavored honey will sell quick enough. If you want to go for straight profit with selling the flowers and honey and don’t care about keeping any for personal use… go for the blue mist flowers. Not only does everyone love receiving the flowers as gifts so they’ll go over well with making friends, but you can sell the honey for quite a bit.”

“Quite a bit being how much?” Shepard asked.

Pierre took out his phone and tapped on a few icons, “I’ll buy the blue mist flowers for a minimum of 160Gs each, the honey I’d buy for 400Gs. The poppy honey goes for 380Gs each and the flowers for 140Gs. Both the growing times are seven days. It all depends on what you want to do with them. The blue mist edges out the poppy in sell value and popularity, so why not go for them? If you can’t afford them at the start, the summer spangle is a decent selling flower and the honey will bring in a profit too. They take an extra day to grow though.”

Pierre grunted as he looked up and saw Caroline staring at him and tapping her foot. “Gotta go. The wife is staring daggers at me.”

Thane waited until Pierre was out of earshot before he said, “We do not know the names of the items the Junimos may want. I propose we purchase at least one packet of each item and plant it. Once we check the book to see if something we grew matches one of the pictures in the book, we can put it in their boxes. Also, according to Hollander’s book, a loom should be simple enough to make. It takes wood, fiber, and pine tar. I can make a tapper first thing in the morning and place it on one of the pine trees just north of the farm.”

“So plant a few cotton seeds and stock the cotton from it until we can make the loom? I wonder how much the cloth sells for.”

Thane shrugged, “I do not know, Shepard. But the Junimos ask for a bolt of cloth. It’s why I’ve been gathering up the soggy newspapers from the packs and taking them to the recycling center every day. Robin told us that sometimes the machines will produce a small bolt of cloth from one.”

“Yeah… I still don’t get this place and what their weird machines can do. I’ve got to run down to the ocean and check those two crab pots I stuck down there. I forgot to do it earlier. I’ll be late getting back home again.”

Thane frowned and wondered if that was all she would do. Or if she would meet someone.

“I’ll go check them this time, Shepard. You had a late night last night, and could probably use the few hours of extra sleep.”

“That’s true. I’ll take care of the one in the pond on the way back home after the festival. I stuffed the jar of bait for the ones in the ocean into a small box next to Willy’s trashcan.” Shepard returned Gus’ wave as she said it.

Thane felt a stab of guilt for thinking she was meeting someone else when she stayed out for so long.

“Since we’re coming to the end of the season, we should talk and decide exactly what kind of farm we want. We already know pickles, jelly, and honey will play a part in our normal sales.”

Shepard nodded. “Let’s go mingle and maybe overhear some talk of what people would want. I’ll head over to the food table and talk with Gus and ask him about the food he made, see what people ate the most of.”

Thane nodded and told her he would speak to Evelyn and the others to see what they would buy.

“Alright, see you in a bit,” Shepard said and walked away. She didn’t look back at him.

“Dude? Everything alright with you two?”

Thane glanced over and saw Sebastian standing nearby. He quickly put out the cigarette he was smoking when Thane came closer.

“Yes. Difficulty between a married couple. I’m sure you’ve seen something similar with your parents.”

“Parent. Demetrius is not my dad. He doesn’t try to get to know the things I like or not, he doesn’t think my job is important. All he cares about is Maru or his experiments. He couldn't care less about me,” Sebastian said, and Thane glanced over at him.

“I doubt that is completely true, Sebastian. He loves your mother and I’m sure he cares for you as well.”

Sebastian snorted. “Nah. Mom said you had a kid about my age too. I bet Shepard wouldn’t think their job was a waste of time, that computer programming wasn’t important or all they did was just surf the net. She wouldn’t yell and tell your kid to stop building snow goons in the front yard while praising her own kid on the snowman they built in the same breath. She’d treat both kids fairly. I can tell just by the way I see her talk to people. No matter who they are or what they do. You’re the same way. You don’t treat one person differently from the way you do another. Even though you all haven’t been here long, a bunch of us have noticed shit like that.”

Thane stared at the young man, then chuckled as he looked back over the crowd gathered in the meadow. His eyes taking in everyone and their actions or reactions. He noticed Demetrius was frowning toward Sebastian a lot. But only when Robin wasn’t looking at him, otherwise he was all smiles at Maru.

“When Shepard met my son, he was ill-mannered, confused, arrogant, misguided, and attempting to break the law. She distracted him, then jumped at him and punched him in the jaw so hard he stumbled back several steps. He had been so startled by her actions it kept him still long enough for me to talk him down from doing something he would have regretted as long as he lived.”

Thane’s memories flashed back to seeing Kolyat standing with a gun in his hand, pointing it at the back of a corrupt politician’s head as he clumsily tried to fill an assassination contract. As far as he knew, Kolyat had not undergone the assassin training he himself had as a chosen compact trained drell. His son’s soul disconnected from his mind and body. If it hadn’t been for Commander Shepard, his son would have either fallen to entropy or killed by the C-Sec officers on the scene.

“Damn, dude. And she stayed with you?”

“She did. She helped to keep Kolyat out of the system and even talked the officer in charge into an off-the-record probation for him. She got him an honest job working within the department. The last time we spoke, he was quite a different person. No longer so angry, more grounded and in control of himself. He was doing well and even studied with our priests. We were working toward forgiveness for our past mistakes before things caused me to leave again. Shepard watched out for him until the problems started in our… area. When she felt it was safe to do, so she left as well. And here we are.”

Sebastian looked out over the stream. “What did you do to piss him off the first time?”

Thane paused and took a deep breath. “I simply worked away from home for too long and too often. He was about the same age as the young boy playing over there when his mother was killed by a gang. I was ill-equipped to take care of a child his age. His aunt and uncle took care of him when I could not. Once again, my work took me to places not suitable for a child. By the time I finished the task, he was practically a grown man. I lost so many precious years that I could not get back. I made so many mistakes. I suppose most new parents do.”

“Yeah, but at least you started trying again. All Demetrius does is bitch at me about everything from my clothing to my job to my friends. That’s one of the main reasons I want out of this shithole town and move to the city. So I don’t have to put up with his bullshit any longer.”

Thane blinked and hummed, “I see. Your friends will miss you terribly, I think. I know your mother would. She speaks highly of you. As does Pierre and the Mayor. They are quite impressed with your programming skills and ability to keep the extranet… I mean the internet, functioning for the entire town. Where Shepard and I come from, almost everything is computerized. Most basic functions are done remotely by programs designed by people like you. They made our lives… comfortable… mostly.”

“Sounds like my kind of town. Maybe I should move there.”

Thane’s lips twitched. “If you think Zuzu City is far away, where Shepard and I come from is even further. You could not visit your friends and family. The distance is too great to travel and contact with those still living there is not feasible. I haven’t spoken to Kolyat since we left, because of the distance and damage sustained from a disaster there.”

“Damn. Hope the guy’s doing okay,” Sebastian said.

“As do I.”

They both stood in quiet contemplation for several minutes before the music stopped playing and Mayor Lewis called for everyone to gather together.

Sebastian groaned. “I gotta go, Thane. See ya around.”

Thane nodded his head toward the boy and watched him walk toward a tent off to the side of the field. Several of the other males headed there as well. Thane joined Shepard where she stood near Robin and watched as the young unmarried females and males exited the tents dressed in their festival clothing, females wore white dresses while the men wore blue suits, and lined up in two rows facing each other.

Robin whispered to them it wasn’t uncommon for the dancing couples to end up marrying each other. Demetrius sniffed as Sebastian grimaced and plucked at the suit jacket. Abigail stood across from him, looking bored with the whole thing. “If those two layabouts get married, we’d be doing nothing but supporting them until we’re old and gray,” Demetrius muttered.

“Actually, computer programmers are in demand and have more job security than most professions. Without them, we wouldn’t have the internet. The medical equipment hospitals and laboratories depend on would be nothing but unusable boxes. Scientific equipment couldn’t perform the minute calculations with little room for error if it wasn’t for a computer programmer designing the software to run it. The phones everyone uses would be paperweights without a computer system inside of them and at other locations. Those systems rely on a complex computer program to function.

“Sebastian must be quite the adept programmer for his age to not only keep the internet for this entire area functioning but also to refurbish phones, create intricate web page designs and maintain them. Ones with his skills and talents were in incredibly high demand where we lived and paid extremely well,” Shepard snarled at the man. “I’m sure Robin is quite proud of her son. I know I would be if my son could do so much at such a young age.”

Thane nodded, “I’m proud of my own child for the small amount of computer skills he has. He uses them in his work with the Constabulary and many of our friends were well versed in electronic security measures and computer systems. They kept everything from the governing bodies to the communications systems functioning.”

Robin blinked at the two of them and frowned slightly when she heard Demetrius huff in annoyance. “He works hard. He’s never late in his rent and pays his own bills,” she said.

“I’m sure Maru must do the same as well since she’s working part-time at the clinic. After all, it’s best to treat siblings that close in age equally,” Shepard said.

Robin frowned again when Demetrius said, “Maru’s scientific studies take up too much of her time to work long hours. The bit of pocket money she makes she needs to use for materials for her experiments. She shouldn’t have to pay rent.”

Shepard’s eyebrow rose. Before she could make another comment, the music played, and they all turned to watch the dancers in the center of the meadow.

* * *

After the festival, Thane returned home from baiting the crab pots as Shepard wrote about the day in their journal. Both of them yawned as they settled into their bedrolls.


	18. Future Plans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Taking a break from mask making. Hope you enjoy the chapter.

* * *

  
  


The next morning Thane lugged several buckets of water from the pond and started them heating to fill the large metal washtub as Shepard began updating their inventory log and moving items around in the various chests they placed in the town and on the farm.

“I think we should keep the clay with the logs and rocks inside the chest at Robin’s. She listed some for an upgrade.”

Thane poured the last bucket into the tub and nodded. “That is a reasonable place for it. We will do the same for any of the other items she has listed.”

Shepard wrote the amount of clay in the log then pushed the small button on the inside lid of the chest she sat in front of with the words “Carpenter Shop” written in tiny lettering next to it. She shut the lid, then opened it again to reveal the wood and stone they placed inside the chest a few days ago.

Thane sat on the porch step and watched Shepard opening and closing the lid of the chest as she separated the items. “We should place a chest inside the seed shop as well, Shepard. Anything we want to sell to Pierre we can store in there instead of our packs. We can also place the purchased items inside so we don’t have to run back here as soon as we leave his shop. Especially if we end up buying seeds and groceries at the same time and want to fish in town.”

She paused after closing the lid again. “Yeah, I know the perfect spot for it too.”

Shepard grunted as she stood up and put the journal into her pack. “What were you and Sebastian talking about yesterday? You both looked so serious. And the whole thing with Demetrius?”

Thane told her of the conversation as she dumped a scoop of detergent in the heated water and swished it around.

“Yeah, I’ve been overhearing some conversations hinting at it. That’s why I jumped in. He’s a good kid and smart, too. Just smart in a different way than Maru is.”

“Speaking of hearing things, did you happen to hear of possible paths for this farm to take?” Thane asked.

Shepard dumped their jeans in the water and pushed them to the bottom of the metal tub as Thane picked up the buckets to refill them with fresh water.

When he returned, he took off the shirt he wore and dropped it next to the pile of other ones, then reached into the water to help scrub the pants clean.

Shepard snorted. “Yeah, I heard something. Liquor. This town lives for saloon nights. I heard people asking Gus for pale ale, beer, a bunch of different wines, and coffee. You name it, they wanted to drink it. I listened while he kept telling them until the shipments come from Joja Corp distribution he had nothing but the limited quantity of stuff he sold in the saloon. He told Robin all the peach, pomegranate, and melon wines never arrived. All he had in stock was a few bottles of apple wine, and two dusty bottles of orange wine from several years ago when he accidentally ordered it instead of orange juice.”

Thane wrung out the pair of pants he worked on and Shepard bit her lip to keep from sighing as his muscles bunched and flexed.

“Hmm. Wines, beer, ales, jelly, pickles, flowers and their flavored honey. Is that about right?”

She nodded. “Sodas for the non-drinkers and kids too if we can figure out what machine would do it. I made a quick list on the flavors they asked for, it’s on my phone. When we get to Pierre’s we should check to see how much those things would sell for.”

“Hollander’s crafting book had the plans for kegs. He said they were for making wines and juices but didn’t mention soda. I think they would probably make the other alcoholic beverages as well.”

Shepard handed him another pair of pants to wring the soapy water from. “Yep, he also told me coffee was made in them as well, at least from the ground beans, but he didn’t tell me what they used to grind the beans with. He recommended we buy a coffee maker instead, though.”

Thane paused then hummed, “Hollander’s book said nothing about a bean grinder either. Wood, copper bar, iron bar, and oak resin for a keg. Wood, coal, iron bar, maple syrup for beehives. We already know how to build the preserve jars.”

“Guess we must hold off on making our own coffee then,” Shepard sighed. Thane grinned and lifted the tub of dirty water. He dumped it behind the house and brought it back where Shepard filled it with cold water and they started the rinsing process. It was late afternoon before they got the clothing strung up on the line they ran around the furnace. They ate a quick meal of berries, leftover bread, and rhubarb pie Gus gave to them after the festival, then began clearing and marking off sections of fields.

After much debate between them, they rearranged the fields again and went with entire sections instead of the grid they used for the spring plantings. Thane counted how many places were left fallow using a grid, but covered by the single scarecrow they had and showed her how much profit and more vegetables they could get if they tilled the whole section.

She threw up her hands and told him to do it, then she stomped over to the miscellaneous chest, grabbed up the fishing pole, and her pack.

“It’s getting late, Shepard. Where are you going?”

“To catch dinner. I’ll be back in a few hours.”

* * *

Shepard lifted the pack with its contents of anchovy, sardines, herrings, eels, and three large halibuts from the dock and started home. As she walked into the town square she heard metal rattling and stopped for a moment to peer into the darkened area to the right of the saloon and next to Evelyn and George’s small home. The metal rattled again, and the front door of the house opened. George wheeled himself outside and banged on the side of the house.

“Darn raccoons are back at it again. Digging through our trashcan. Pesky critters.”

Shepard raised an eyebrow at the old man’s tirade. When he turned his wheelchair around he saw her standing there and motioned to her.

“You there. Farmer. Get rid of those raccoons for me. Scare them bad enough so they don’t come back,” he said, then wheeled himself into his house and slammed the door.

Shepard took a few steps forward and scratched her brow. She had no idea what a raccoon was. She took a few more steps toward the darkened area when she saw two eyes blink at her from next to the house.

“Come on out of there, whoever you are. I won’t hurt you,” she said.

An older man stepped into the light. He was dirty with a long, matted beard and white hair. What few pieces of clothing he wore were torn and dirty too.

“Who are you and what are you doing near George’s house?”

The older man gave a startled jump, “My… my name’s Linus. I wasn’t hurting anyone or stealing. I was hungry. They throw away much good food. It would go to waste if I didn’t eat it.”

Shepard’s eyes grew wide, “You were digging food out of a trashcan?”

The old man twisted the ends of a ragged scarf in his hand as he nodded.

“Do you live here in the valley?” Shepard asked, and the man gave a one-shoulder shrug.

“Do you have a place to live?”

“I have a tent nearby.”

She frowned. She hadn’t seen a tent anywhere in the valley.

“Are you going to have me arrested?”

Shepard’s gaze flew to the old man’s. “No… no, you weren’t hurting anyone. Just… just stay out of George’s can though. If you get hungry and can’t find anything, come to the farm outside of town. Follow the signs for Serenity Gardens and knock on the door. I’ll share what I can with you.” She reached into her bag and took out a halibut and held it out to him.

“Do you have a way to cook it?” she asked, and he cautiously took the fish from her with a nod.

“Okay. It’s getting late. Be safe on the way back to your tent.”

The old man held the fish closer to his chest and gave her a small smile before thanking her and blending back into the darkness.

When Shepard walked through the door of their shack Thane looked up from Hollander’s crafting book. He frowned when he saw her, looking pensive.

“What is wrong? You’re later than what I expected.”

Shepard took off her pack and set it in the corner near the door. “I met someone.”

Thane tensed. His grip on the book tightened. “What do you mean; you met someone, Shepard?”

“George stopped me as I walked in the square and told me to scare off something called a raccoon which was messing in his garbage can. Only it was an old man rummaging around trying to find food to eat.”

Thane laid his book down, “Someone was taking food from a can? A drala’fa?”

She nodded, “Just like the duct rats back on the Citadel. They have homeless people here as well. He looked only slightly younger than George and wore ragged clothing. He was in bad shape. Have you ever seen a tent around here?”

Thane blinked, then shook his head. “Only houses or the small portable home Pam and Penny live in. This person said he lived in a tent here?”

“Something like that, yeah.”

“I shall do a search tomorrow after I drop the axe off with Clint.”

“I gave him a fish, and he said he had a way to cook it so I’m guessing he has a fire going.”

“The smell of wood smoke may help guide me. I’ll take him a paper bag filled with some leftover vegetables and a few berry clusters.”

Shepard nodded and slid into her bedroll. Thane closed the book and moved around to lean over her. “Have you spoken to Doctor Harvey yet, Shepard?”

“Haven’t had time, Thane. Good night,” she said as she shifted the covering around and closed her eyes.

He blinked down at her and small white lines appeared at the corners of his mouth from the pressure he exerted on his lips and jaw. “Good night, Shepard.”

* * *

Thane loaded enough copper bars into his pack to place an upgrade order with Clint, and to build a tapper for an oak tree he knew of near the bus stop. Shepard grabbed the fishing pole and took off toward the southern path into the Cindersap Forest. She told him they had three days left in the season to gather as many things as they could to sell. She would fish all day and most of the night and hope to get enough for a few thousand Gs in the morning.

Thane reached into the storage basket and pulled out the paper bags containing their money. He counted the amount they set aside for home improvement and taxes, then counted out 2,000Gs from a different bag and noted the amount on the slip of paper inside before hiding all of it back in the basket.

On the way to see Clint, he stopped off to speak with Pierre.

Pierre put the newspaper on the counter when the bell above the store’s door let out a small tinkle.

“Thane, what can I do for you today?” Pierre asked.

Thane looked around the store and tapped a hand on the counter. It took him several minutes before he finally leaned forward and said in a whisper, “I have a personal, private question for you.”

Pierre pushed up his glasses and nodded, “Abigail and Caroline aren’t here right now and it’s usually slow at the end of the season. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong. More like I need advice from a human male.”

Pierre’s mouth opened and closed several times. “Human? But aren’t you?...”

Thane clicked his tongue, “I am now, but I know little about being one. My studies did not involve this sort of question.”

Pierre cleared his throat, “And that question is?”

“How do human males keep from impregnating their females when their women do not have a regulator?”

“Wha… what? Regulator?”

“Shepard and I never had to worry about this sort of thing. It was impossible for me to father a child with her before we came here. Now… because of being a human, it is no longer safe for us to resume our sexual relationship without this world’s human prophylactics. I cannot see the Doctor because I would have to explain my lack of knowledge to him. You, on the other hand, already know we are not from here.”

Pierre patted around for his stool, then dropped onto it. “That… was not what I expected.”

Pierre took off his glasses and polished them on a cloth he dug out of a counter drawer. “Do you… know anything about what we use?”

“No. My study of human anatomy didn’t cover male genitalia or their reproductive processes. It was enough of a shock to find out I now have external genitals.”

Pierre rubbed his face vigorously with one hand while gripping his glasses with the other. He cleared his throat again as he slid his glasses back on. “Follow me and I’ll give you a quick rundown.” He stood, went to lock the front door, and put up a sign saying “restroom break.”

Pierre opened the door into their living quarters and motioned for Thane to follow him into another room. After moving aside a large book from the bookcase, Pierre reached toward the back and brought out a small brown tube.

“I want these back,” he said as he drew out several magazines from his secret stash.

Thane looked at them, “Hmm, this planet’s equivalent to Fornax? I do not need holos of nude human females, I’m quite knowledgeable in that area.”

Pierre nodded, then flipped through several pages until he came to an ad for condoms. “These are condoms. They come in different sizes and uh… have different um… variations for additional pleasure for your partner.”

“Ah, I’ve heard about something similar. They were not for humans though… how very interesting.”

“I don’t think I want to know. Doctor Harvey sells them since Caroline doesn’t think the other residents want to do their shopping and have this stuff sitting next to the boxes of rice. Just go next door and tell him what you need. Ask him what brands he sells, then say they aren’t what you’re used to so you need samples of them to find a comparative match. Ugh… I can’t believe I’m going to say this… but you can also pick up cheap ones from the JojaMart if you don’t want to buy from Harvey.”

“I see. And how do I use these?”

Pierre groaned. “You roll one on your...” he motioned toward Thane’s crotch, “right before you… you know.” Thane blinked at him. “You’ve had to have gotten erections before? Didn’t you?”

“Of course. Even in this new body I have, though it is a very strange sensation now. Quite different from what I’m used to.”

“Well, you put it on when it happens as you go to make love with your wife and when you’re done you take it off and dispose of it in the trash.”

“I see. Thank you for the information.”

Thirty minutes later Thane walked out of the clinic with sample packs of several types of condoms tucked into his pack.

* * *

The last day of the season dawned and the heat heralding summer began. Shepard propped the door open using a large rock as Thane paced off a small area set aside to begin their honey-making venture. He showed her the small version of the two beehives he made the previous day and they began clearing the area.

They paced off a section measuring thirteen planting squares across by seven squares down and surrounded it with rocks. Shepard tilled the soil where the flowers would go, and Thane placed more rocks along the area where the hives would sit. When they finished, he counted the rocks and this one section would give them a total of 44 beehives. With using only a single scarecrow, they could make two such areas and only need to purchase and water ten flowers. They could use the unused rows for additional beehives to produce wild honey for their personal consumption or sale. The jar sterilizer was in place near the Preserves Jars and they hoped it didn’t need to be closer to the hives.

Thane picked up two of the rocks and dropped them into Shepard’s pack. “Ready?” he asked. He was unsure of just what the hives would look like when he placed them on the ground. Every other piece of equipment, other than the tappers, changed its appearance.

“Yeah, I’m ready. I’m still curious about what Hollander meant by helpers, though.”

Thane nodded, he wondered the same thing as he built the systems. He picked up the triangular-shaped hive from a pocket and lined the four spindly legs up in the square he marked off. “Alright. Let’s see what happens.”

He let go of the hive and it grew as it retained its shape until it was a little higher than his waist. “Hmm. Well, that was disappointing.” Thane dug out the other one and placed it next to the first, then stepped back to view the dark brown hives. “We are on the way to making a go of the honey business.”

“Yeah, but by my calculations, we need another 42 iron bars for this section of hives. Not including the copper and iron for the tools. That’s over 100 pieces of iron ore.”

He sighed and nodded. “We do not have to try to complete this all at once. Add a few per season.”

Shepard grunted and picked up her pack. “I suppose. I’m heading to Pierre’s to put in the order for lighter weight clothing. If this is a taste of their summer, we’ll need something else.”

Thane walked back with her to the house. “I’ll have another scarecrow finished and placed by the time you return.”

Shepard nodded and walked away only to be pulled to a stop. “No staying out late tonight. I have something I wish to discuss with you and tomorrow will be extremely busy for us. We’ll need rest.”

Shepard’s brow furrowed as she nodded.

* * *

The bell to the clinic chimed and Maru looked up from the science digest she had been reading. “Good afternoon, Ms. Shepard. Do you have an appointment with Doctor Harvey?”

Shepard nodded and took the seat Maru indicated.

A few minutes later Harvey came out, followed by Evelyn and George. Harvey smiled at Shepard and told her to follow him back to the exam room.

“Now, what can I do for you, Shepard?”

Shepard chewed her lip and wished she was back on the Normandy so she wouldn’t have to explain this since the computer would have alerted the doctor she needed a new regulator.

“Well… you see, it’s been a while since my last thorough exam. The doctor I went to before isn’t available any longer, and they had all my records and things,” she cleared her throat and felt her face going red. “Which included the listed birth and menses regulator I used.”

“Ah. You need to get a new supply?”

“Supply?”

“I assumed you were speaking of birth control pills.”

“I didn’t use pills. My doctor inserted a short rod under my skin.”

Harvey frowned. “A rod?”

Shepard nodded and Harvey pushed his glasses up higher on his nose before he swiveled his chair around to face his computer terminal. “I’ve never heard of something like that before.”

Shepard rubbed at her nose. “I don’t know the technical name for it. It’s like a tiny rod and it worked.”

A few minutes passed as Harvey checked more medical sites until he stopped at one. “Hmm, is this it? It’s listed as experimental.”

Shepard leaned forward and quickly read over the information on the implant and nodded. It was close, but not exactly the same. The ones from her own time were more advanced and not just a device that released a hormone. It also kept a female from having their menses and protected against sexually transmitted infections across species.

Harvey read up on it some more. “I’m not authorized for this implant nor do I have the equipment needed to insert it.”

“Oh.”

He scanned over a list of available licensed doctors and stopped at a name. “But I know this doctor. He has a practice in Zuzu City and is an exceptional doctor. Let me call him up and make sure he’s still able to do this for you. We’ll get you set up with an appointment and give you a cost.”

Twenty minutes later Shepard walked out of Harvey’s office with the doctor’s name, address, and appointment time on her phone. She would really need to catch a lot of fish over the next two days if she would have the 1,000Gs for the three-year implant.

* * *

Shepard walked through the door to the Carpenter’s shop and was relieved Robin wasn’t standing behind the counter. She dropped off several items inside the special chest before she sneaked down the short flight of stairs Thane mentioned Sebastian using and knocked on the door at the bottom.

“Who is it and what the hell do you want? I’m working.”

“Sebastian? It’s Shepard. I need to speak to you, please.”

Shepard heard several beeps and a squeak of a chair before the door opened.

“Shepard? Is everything alright? Mom’s not here right now, she went out to cut some trees for a furniture order.”

“Yeah, it’s fine. It’s you I wanted to talk to, not Robin. Do you have a few minutes?”

“Uh, yeah, I guess so. Come on in.”

Shepard waited until Sebastian sat back on his computer chair before she said, “How would you like to make some cash? I need a ride to Zuzu City in a couple of days. I’ll pay for your time and gas.”

“What, like dropping you off or something?”

Shepard shook her head, “No. I have an appointment with someone and will need for you to wait and bring me back here. It shouldn’t take more than an hour or so once we get there.”

“That’s a three-hour bike ride one way.”

“I’ll pay for your time and buy gas and lunch too.”

“When?”

“Three days from now. My appointment is at nine.”

“In the morning? Shit. We’ll need to leave by 5:30 to get there on time. Do you know where the hell you’re going?”

Shepard nodded and handed him her phone with the office address showing.

“A medical office?”

“Yeah, Harvey’s sending me there.”

“You’re not sick, are you? Even in the summer, riding on the bike can get kinda chilly.”

Shepard laughed, “No, I’m not sick. Harvey just can’t do the procedure here. It’s something quick.”

Sebastian handed her phone back and tapped a finger on his desk. “I’ll do it for 600Gs and expenses. It’s less than what I charge for a day's work on a module.”

Shepard tried to keep from grimacing, “Alright. I’ll see you then and pay you when we get to the medical office.”

Sebastian nodded and added a memo and alarm on his phone so he wouldn’t forget. “I’ll pick you up at your place since it’s close to the main road out of here.”

Shepard sat under the maple tree at the edge of the mountain lake and fished for the rest of the day. When her alarm went off, she finished reeling in the fish and dropped it into her bag before setting off to return home to find out what Thane wanted to talk about.

* * *

  
  


As Shepard piled the rest of the fish and foraged items into the shipping bin, Thane crouched next to the campfire keeping a close eye on the cast-iron skillet he was frying fish in.

“That smells pretty good, Thane,” Shepard said as she washed her hands in a bucket of warm water.

Thane grunted as he carefully turned the fish over. “Marnie still had a small container of butter left by the time I made it to her ranch this afternoon. She was making lunch for Jas and showed me how to fry a fish instead of roasting it in foil. She phoned Clint, and he told her he still had several skillets left, so I bought one. We needed cookware anyway.”

Shepard put two plastic plates next to Thane as he sprinkled some fresh herbs onto the fish before carefully using the plastic spatula to move the fish onto one plate and cutting it.

After they ate and cleaned up, Shepard filled the water bucket from the pond and set it heating for a bath.

“What was it you wanted to talk about?” she asked as she laid out a clean set of panties, t-shirt, and shorts on her bedroll.

Thane paused before taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, “Do you still love me? Every night you place your bedroll further from mine. Every day you stay away from the farm longer and longer. You don’t send me updates or just call to chat like you did when we first began exploring the area. I feel the only time we talk or see each other is either when we’re eating or watering the plants. My calls to you are usually cut short because you’re ‘busy and can’t talk now.’”

Shepard knelt to unlace her boots before she stood up to face him. “You’re the one who pushed me away several times. You’re the one who suggested we not have physical contact until there’s no longer a chance of my becoming pregnant. When I do as you ask, suddenly you have a problem with it? You can’t have it both ways, Thane. Either we are a couple and it includes things as simple as a reciprocated good morning kiss or hug, or we’re not and become nothing more than roommates sharing a home because we have nowhere else to go. If you hadn’t told the doctor we were married it would of at least let us have a way out of this mess.”

She walked around him to get to the door so she could gather the hot water bucket and bathe when he stepped in front of her, halting her progress.

“You didn’t answer my question, Shepard. Do you still love me?”

Shepard stared into his emerald eyes and sighed. “Yes, Thane. I still love you. I think I always will, no matter what happens. I fell in love with you when all I knew about you was that you were a drell assassin; a criminal who killed for credits. You showed me you were more than that and I fell even deeper in love with you.”

Thane took a shaky breath, “You haven’t asked if I still loved you.”

Shepard shrugged. “Whether or not you still do isn’t something I can control. You’ve made a choice to push me away, and it’s one I’ve accepted because I know you don’t want to have any children. If you don’t mind, I’d like to wash this dust off me and try to get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day.”

* * *

  
  


Shepard stood on the bamboo mat they placed on the ground at the back of the house and sighed as she poured the warm water she scooped out with a bowl over the back of her neck to rinse the soap suds away.

She tensed when Thane’s hand settled on her waist, and he took the bowl from her. “Let me do this for you, Siha,” he whispered.

She held still as he poured a small amount of water across her shoulders then kissed along the tops. “I am sorry for my behavior. I did not mean to push you so very far away. You are my Siha, my warrior angel, and when I touch you or hold you in my arms, it brings back our nights together so clearly. The touch of your fingers on my body, the way your warm, soft lips felt against my scales as you kissed your way down my chest and abdomen. Resisting the pleasures which I found with you is difficult. Before we could indulge our needs and desires, this situation caused me to hesitate. Possibly hesitate too much and for too long. I responded badly to it.”

He turned her to face him and stroked his thumb along her cheekbone and looked into her eyes as the sun began to set. “I love you, Siha. Do not doubt it. I want to kiss you, hold you in my arms, and make love to you all night.” He bent toward her to kiss her and was shocked when she turned her head away.

“We can’t, Thane. Without an inhibitor or an advanced medical scan, I can’t guarantee I’m not ovulating. I will not risk it. I don’t want to be held responsible if we have sex and I become pregnant.”

“I spoke to Doctor Harvey. He provided condoms to use to prevent pregnancy.”

Shepard closed her eyes for a moment before glancing up at him. “They aren’t 100% guaranteed to prevent it, Thane. They break during use or can sometimes be defective from the manufacturer.” She shook her head. “We can’t take the risk. Not until we can be almost sure there will be no consequences.”

He watched her grab up a towel and wrap it around herself before picking up the bowl and bucket and walking toward the front of the house.


	19. Summer- Year One

* * *

The day dawned hot and humid. Sometime in the middle of the night, both of them had thrown off the top of the sleeping bags and sprawled on top of them.

“Oh gods, if it’s like this at six in the morning, what the hell is it going to be like around noon?” Shepard groaned and peeled away her damp t-shirt from her body. Thane wiped a forearm over his brow and headed for the light switch to turn on the overhead fan and opened the front door.

“I used to wish for a warmer living space. You kept the Normandy cooler than I liked, but even this is a bit much to wake up to,” Thane groused as he ran a damp washcloth over his body before putting on a clean pair of underwear and what Shepard referred to as shorts.

Shepard sighed as she rinsed off and Thane fiddled around with the television, “Thank you for tuning in for this morning’s weather. Today is the first day of summer, and it will be a hot one. Cloudless skies for today. Tomorrow’s outlook is the same. Tune in tomorrow for another forecast.”

“Lovely. What else is on?”

Thane twisted the dial until he came to the Valley station. “A new season has started and with it comes new foraging items. Summer brings us the following, so keep your eyes open in your travels. A red berry which fills the air with the aroma of spices, spice berries are found above ground and make a wonderful wine or jelly. Next, we have grapes, lush purple clusters of fruit for winemaking, jelly, or just plain snacking on. Summer is the time for a beautiful pink flower to bloom in the Valley called a sweet pea. This flower makes an aromatic addition to your bouquets. If you’re into spelunking, keep your eyes open for the red mushrooms beginning to appear in the local caves and mine area. A word of caution. These mushrooms are poisonous so do not consume them, but are worth gathering for the local chemists. There is one more forageable out there; a rare find as it can only be found in the deep woods, a Fiddlehead Fern. That’s all for this episode of Foraging in Stardew Valley; tune in tomorrow when we cover the available fish for this season.”

Thane leafed through the Junimo’s journal as Shepard pulled out two of the granola bars she purchased from Pierre’s store the day before and tossed him one.

“They want the forageables, including several of those red mushrooms for a couple of different boxes. We must keep our eyes open this entire season.”

“Can you make out what they want from the farm?”

Thane stood next to the window and tipped the book toward the light as he chewed the nut, raisin, and oatmeal bar. “Something that’s round and looks a bit red, and another with a pinkish hue, and yet another which looks bluish, and something curving and red. We’ll have to look at the seed packet pictures to figure it out.”

“Well, let’s get going. We should get the worst of the ground work done before Pierre’s open.”

Thane nodded and placed the journal into his pack and slipped it on at the same time Shepard hefted her own pack. He tugged gently on her arm before they walked out the door. When she looked up at him, he bent and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. “Good morning, Siha.”

“Good morning, Thane.”

* * *

Shepard and Thane both panted heavily and leaned on the fence next to the small pond after they broke up and dug all the spots Thane marked as covered by the single scarecrow they had for their planting area.

She groaned and stumbled toward the pond. She dunked her head into the water, only coming up from the coolness when her lungs pushed her too. When she flung her hair back, she noticed Thane had his own head underwater.

When he came up gasping for air, he coughed a few times and pushed his hair out of his face. “I never thought I’d be so happy that I could stick my head in the water and not worry.”

“And this is only the first day. What the hell is it going to be like mid-season?”

Thane groaned, “I don’t even want to think about it, Shepard. Come on, let’s get to town. We’ll have enough time to stop and gather anything and check the tappers on the way before he opens.”

* * *

  
  


The limited shade of the tree next to the General Goods store didn’t help much. They waited until they saw Pierre turn the open sign on and hurried toward the store, hoping it had air conditioning.

They both gave loud sighs as they stepped into the cooler store and Pierre laughed. “Welcome you two. Here to get your season’s seeds?”

“Yes we are, Pierre,” Thane said and headed for the counter to keep Pierre’s attention on him while Shepard removed the chest from her pack and bent down to slide it in between a storage box and a magazine rack. She quickly placed a drop of potion in the corner and pointed to the pink square of color while whispering to the Junimo “Seed Shop”.

When Shepard joined Thane at the counter, he had the catalog opened to the summer seed page and tapped his finger next to one picture of a seed pack. After a quick discussion and rapid tapping of numbers on the calculator app, they came away with an assortment of seeds including tomatoes, blueberries, hot peppers, melons, cotton, corn, and single packets of a blue mist and poppy seed flowers.

“Once we see Mayor Lewis, we might be back to get more seeds, Pierre,” Shepard called out as they left the building.

When they arrived at the Mayor’s house they saw his truck gone so headed back to the farm to plant the seeds they already had.

After spending thirty minutes shifting the order of the packets around for the vegetable patch and finally getting frustrated from the combination of heat and Thane’s need for the precise order of things, Shepard grabbed the two flower seed packets, and the water can then stomped toward the honey production area. She saw two bees flying around and smiled as she planted the blue mist flower in the spot closest to the hives they had. Thane showed up as she dumped some water on the seeds and placed a chest next to the scarecrow.

“What are you putting a chest there for?” Shepard asked.

“I would rather place the full jars of honey in here than put them in the bags, cart them all the way back to the house, unload them into a chest, and have them take up the room we might need for our own produce. Especially when we can really start building more hives. Carting eighty-some jars of honey around and taking up several slots with the distinct flavors would be a hassle. This way we just dump them all in here, access the chest when we want to pull out honey to use or sell and not have to worry about not having room for our other food.” Thane pointed to the orange splash of color and said, “Honey Production,” when the Junimo appeared with its paintbrush in hand.

“Speaking of more hives, when can you make a few more for the poppy honey?”

Thane stood up and ran his fingers through his inky hair as he went through the inventory listing in his head. “We need more iron bars. We have enough maple syrup for two more hives, but Shepard, we also need a lot more wood. Robin wants 450 pieces for the housing upgrade to give us a bedroom and kitchen. That’s a lot of trees. Not to mention we need even more if we want to make kegs for wines and juices.”

Shepard hissed. “We need to buy another set of tools so we can both work on this stuff.”

Thane shrugged, “Or we need to upgrade the ones we have so we can use them more efficiently. Clint should have the axe finished later today. I think maybe we should put the pickaxe in for an upgrade before going back into the mine. We can spend the days harvesting wood and fishing to make back the Gs we spent on seeds and for whatever the Mayor will charge us in taxes.”

Shepard rubbed her forehead, and they both looked up when they heard a vehicle’s horn blowing. They waved at the Mayor as he got out of his truck.

“Well, good morning to you both. It’s a hot one today, isn’t it?”

They both greeted the Mayor and agreed on the weather.

“Well, on the first day of the season I go around to all the businesses and collect on their taxes. So, let’s see what we have here.” Lewis gathered a comprehensive book labeled ‘Valley Tax Record,’ from the seat of his truck and placed it on the hood before opening it up.

“Ah, here we go, Serenity Gardens. Here is the breakdown of income tax, property tax, utilities; which is water, electric, and business communication lines. You don’t have sprinklers so your utilities only comprise the used electric and the cell phone service you have. So all told you owe, 1, 256Gs in taxes for the Spring. Keep in mind the more income you have, and the more you improve your property and use the utilities it will go up.”

Shepard winced and Thane nodded before jogging up the stairs to get the paper sack they kept their money in and counting out the needed amount before returning.

“Here you go, Mayor.”

Lewis smiled at him, then wrote out a receipt and gave him a copy of the tax listings. “Wonderful. Let me say you’ve done a superb job so far for not knowing anything about farming when you got here. Before I forget, here’s your mail. I usually deliver it when I pick up the taxes.”

After the Mayor left, Thane turned to Shepard and said, “We have close to 5,000 Gs left. We have plenty of space tilled for more crops, I suggest we get more seeds, including the single harvest items, then forage.”

Shepard nodded, “I’ll go to the store. I’ll dump the seed packets into the chest before I head to Clint’s to pick up the axe.” Thane nodded and went to pull out five copper bars from the chest as Shepard went inside to get the paper bag of money. She counted out enough Gs from the bundle to add into what she had earned from selling fish to cover the implant and expenses and hid it under one of her shirts before stuffing the paper sack inside her pack.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can to help with the planting,” she said and Thane handed her the bars and leaned toward her for another kiss.

* * *

  
  


Shepard passed Pierre’s store to pick up the axe before spending the rest of their money on seeds. When she entered Clint’s shop, the blacksmith was standing behind the counter looking at a magazine which he quickly stuffed under the counter when he saw who entered.

“Hi Clint, I’m here to pick up our axe if it’s ready.”

Clint nodded, “I finished it up a few hours ago, give me a second and I’ll go get it for you.”

When he came back, he held an axe which had a reddish tint to it and looked brand new.

“Wow. It looks new.”

Clint shrugged, “It’s the same axe, just repaired and upgraded. Is there anything else you need?”

Shepard laid the pickaxe on the counter along with five copper bars and a stack of Gs.

“I’ll have it ready in three days,” Clint said as he picked everything up and walked toward the backroom leaving Shepard standing in the store area. She shrugged and walked out while still looking at the new axe.

* * *

Pierre looked up when the bell tinkled as the door opened. Elliot placed his purchases on the table and Caroline came through the door leading back to their living quarters and called out a hello to her.

As she looked through the seed catalog, she listened to Elliot asking if they were getting any coffee in soon. Pierre shook his head no and told him for some reason all his orders to Joja Corp Distribution were getting back-ordered or shorted.

Shepard frowned and continued to look at the pages when the bell above the door rang again and several more people showed up. Leah poked her head around the corner asking if he had any sugar in the back room because the shelf was empty and Marnie frowned when she got the same answer Leah and Elliot had when she asked for vinegar.

Pierre apologized again to them, then slammed a hand on the counter when the door opened again and a man wearing glasses and a black suit entered. Shepard’s eyebrow rose as the man strutted toward the center of the store and smirked before raising his hand, which held several brightly colored cards.

“May I have your attention? Today only JojaMart is offering coupons for 50% off your total order. I just happen to have the coupons here so get yours while available.”

The others began rushing toward the man when Shepard said rather loudly, “That’s one of the most unethical and sleazy tactics I’ve ever witnessed. Disgusting. Anyone thinking to benefit from it should be ashamed.”

The other customers paused for a second, then grabbed at the coupons and hurried out the door. The sleazy man sauntered toward the counter, and Pierre bristled. “Get out of my store, Morris.”

The creep smirked again and looked Shepard over before turning toward Pierre, “Just give it up, Pierre. Sell to Joja Corp. How much longer can you possibly hold out?”

“He’ll hold out as long as he has a single customer left. Get your slimy ass out of this store, and if I catch you in here again, you’ll be wishing you never heard of Stardew Valley by the time I get done with you.”

“Threatening me?”

“Prove it.”

The man smirked and hummed, then left the store.

“I can’t compete with JojaMart. I can’t offer those kinds of deals and stay in business.”

Shepard came around the corner and put a hand on his shoulder. “You don’t have to compete with him. Just give us some time and we’ll help you out. We’ve got plans and if there’s one thing Thane and I are good at; it’s planning and seeing it through, no matter how tough it might get.”

“You guys are only two people. Two very strange people, but still there’s only the two of you. What can you do against Joja Corp?”

“We’ve got skills, Pierre. Just hang in there. Now, I need three blueberry seed packets, two tomatoes, six lettuce, six radish, four melons, and three hops packets. And let’s see… nine spangles and poppy packets... erm… five blue mist and I guess that’s it for now.”

* * *

  
  


Shepard hurried back to the farm and found Thane sitting on the porch drinking a cup of water. He pointed to the field, “I’ve gotten a good many seeds planted, but I needed a break in this heat. This human body doesn’t regulate heat as well as my drell one did.”

Shepard tugged off her pack and sighed as she reached for the cup Thane held out to her.

“Pierre ran into a problem earlier. When we first got here Robin showed us around and mentioned the manager of the JojaMart, well the bastard came into Pierre’s store. He offered coupons to the customers, and they ate it up. They left Pierre high and dry. Joja Corp is also messing with his deliveries. He’s struggling with staying open.”

Thane frowned, “What do you want to do?”

“We need to get our asses in gear and start producing stuff to bring in customers to Pierre’s. Fresh items, the honey, and preserves. Later tonight, I want you to get into the JojaMart and do some snooping. I want to know what they sell, the prices, and if you can get into their offices search for anything which might clue us in on why they’re here and why they want Pierre to shut down so badly.”

“After we get those seeds planted, I’ll take a stroll to the store and get the layout and see what their security is like,” Thane said as he stood and reached for the packets.

“Hold up a second. There’s some stuff to help with growing the melons faster.” She dug in the miscellaneous chest and lifted out the box the Junimos gave her, stuffed full of Speed-Gro.


	20. The Great JojaMart Caper

* * *

Shepard hefted the axe and headed for the cluster of trees near the small cave on the property as Thane rinsed off in the pond before dressing to go into town. She stopped at one of the large round stumps and rubbed her chin.

“I wonder...” she mumbled then swung the axe up and let it slam down into the stump with a solid thwack. She smiled with several wood chips flew off. After five more strikes with the improved axe, the stump split apart, and she broke the chunks into more manageable pieces. She sent a quick text to Thane letting him know about her discovery, then went back to clearing the small area of trees and stumps.

* * *

  
  


Thane walked past the JojaMart and circled around the back of the store and continued to the fenced off section of the town just to the East. He took in the placement of the back door, the large delivery truck, and the copious amounts of trash and empty boxes lying around out of sight of the customers using the glass doors to go inside. Thane grimaced. He started for the front entrance of the store, passing a small lot with only a black car parked there. A quick glance let him know the store closed at 11:00 pm so it would be after midnight before he’d attempt to enter.

As the glass door slid open, Thane was hit with various smells, which included a lingering odor of fish beginning to go bad and the stench of rotting fruit.

Thane saw the manager, Morris, behind the new member sign up area.

“Welcome to JojaMart. This is a member-only shopping center. It’s quick and easy to sign up. We have the best deals and goods around. Now, how would you like to pay for your membership? We accept cash, credit cards, and auto-debit from banks.”

Thane barely smiled. “I’d like to look at what you offer before I decide to sign up for your membership. I enjoy receiving good deals, but expect quality merchandise for my hard-earned Gs.”

Morris’ greasy smile slipped slightly as he said, “Of course, of course. Our merchandise is of the highest quality, I assure you.”

Thane gave a non-committal hum before he headed to the far west side of the store. His eyes flicked over the wide-view mirrors and the security cameras set up in the corners as he walked down each aisle. His eidetic memory took in every detail, every price, every out-of-date product on the shelves.

“Hey Thane. Didn’t expect to see you here.”

Thane glanced up and smiled at the blonde-haired guy wearing a JojaMart employee uniform.

“Hello, Sam. How is your family?”

“Doing great. I think my dad is coming home soon. Vincent’s still talking about Jas winning the egg hunt.” Sam yawned and apologized.

“You seem tired.”

Sam moved the broom he held in a sweeping motion and shrugged. “Long days. But seriously man, I didn’t think you or Shepard would shop in here.”

Thane raised an eyebrow. “I’m just looking around right now. It’s good to see what the competition has to offer. I’d better let you get back to work. I don’t want to get you in trouble for talking to me during work hours.”

“Alright, man. Hey, are you guys gonna come to the saloon on Friday?”

“Possibly. This week will be a rather busy week for us as we prepare our farm for this season. You should take a brief break and get something to drink, you look about done in.”

“It’s not break time yet. Morris would shit and fire me on the spot if I went into the break room. It’s bad enough when he glares at us if we don’t clock out and in right on the dot. If they didn’t keep the back door locked, we could use it and be closer to the time clock. But the bastard says the door has to stay locked for security reasons.”

“Sounds reasonable if they don’t have a way to monitor the door. Anyone could walk right in.”

Sam shrugged. “It’s not like there are no security cameras in the room or anything. There are cameras all over the place. I think there’s even one in the bathrooms. And when we clock out at closing time, we’ve got to run out the damn break room, and through the front doors before the security alarm sets because the damn thing is in Morris’ office and he won’t give us a few extra minutes to gather our things before clocking out. He uses the flipping back door.”

“Working conditions do not sound so good here. Why do you continue to work for JojaMart?”

“Nowhere else in this town to work. All the shops are family-owned and they don’t need outside help. Believe me, if I could find somewhere else to work I’d leave in a heartbeat.”

Thane wished him a pleasant day, then scoped out the rest of the store. He didn’t even pause as he passed by the employee break room or a closed door marked Private. By the time he finished memorizing everything, he found all the prices of the goods, except for something called sunflower seeds, were more expensive, the fish smelled of both rot and chemicals; the fruit had mold spots on many of the pieces, and more than a few items were past their sell-by date. Including several dairy products.

Thane walked back toward the front of the store and paused as Morris said, “Here’s the membership form for you to fill out. The lifetime membership fee is 5,000 Gs. How would you like to pay?”

“I am not signing up for your membership. You are selling 30 out of date and rotting food items for a premium price, which is 20% higher than your competition. I will not support such a shoddy and reprehensible business. Good day, Sir.”

* * *

  
  


Over a dinner of fried fish and potatoes, Thane recounted everything he saw and what he learned from Sam.

“Security system and cameras,” Shepard said and chewed her food as she tried to think of a way to bypass them.

“They are most likely connected. Take down the security system and the cameras will fail. It is taking the security system offline which is worrying me. We do not have omni tools to hack past the electronic safeguards. The safest way would be to find the codes used to turn it off.”

Shepard pointed her fork at him, “True. But how would we even go about getting the codes? It’s not like Morris is just going to give them to us. We’d have to see him enter the damn thing or threaten him with something.”

Thane snorted, “Siha, you’re not a Spectre here so you can’t threaten him with cutting off his balls and selling them to a krogan.”

Shepard grinned, “That was pretty funny. I thought Kelham would piss himself.”

Thane hummed. “You gave me an idea though, Shepard. Our phones have a recording feature. While the store is open, the security alarm is off. If I enter the building through the rooftop vent, I can place the phone in a position to view the keypad and set it to record. Or use the chat app to see it on your phone. From there it would be a simple process of returning after the store closes, go through the vent and access the system.”

Shepard thought about it while cleaning up. When she sat back down on the porch step, she nodded. “Set your phone to quiet mode and put it in the vent. I can watch what’s going on and hopefully get the information we’ll need. I’m going back to cutting wood. The new axe helps a lot and I’ve cleared more of those stumps, but it still won’t cut those huge logs.”

Thane rotated his shoulders and went into their small house where he changed into a darker set of clothing and began a meditation he hadn’t performed in many months. One he would always do before setting up recon on a new target. Only this time it wasn’t an assassination he was to perform which eased his soul.

* * *

  
  


The sun set and the town grew darker and quieter on the side of the river where the JojaMart sat. Thane waited another thirty minutes before he carefully climbed onto the cab of the truck and leaped toward the roof of the building. He grasped the overhang and pulled himself up soundlessly and waited to make sure no one saw him or raised an alarm. When none came, he crouched down and made his way to the far side of the roof and removed the screws holding the rooftop ventilation cover in place. He hoped to return Robin’s screwdriver and pliers to her shed before she realized they were gone.

With the cover removed, he looked down into the shaft and listened. All he could hear was the low roar of the cooling system moving air through it. He lowered himself down carefully and waited a moment before testing the stability of the vent. He grimaced when he realized it was cheaply made and the metal was actually only thin sheets and not the more durable variety they had in his own time and space. He had to move even slower and watch the placement of his body as not to put too much of his weight on any one spot. Thankfully, Morris’s private room wasn’t too far past the refrigeration area.

Thane paused and listened when two voices he didn’t recognize floated up through the air vents.

“This is ridiculous. Working us from the time the store opens to the time it closes with only one fifteen-minute break and a thirty-minute meal break can’t be legal. We should report him.”

“Shh. Do you want to get fired? This is the only store around here that’ll hire either of us since we didn’t finish school. Just keep your mouth shut and head down and we keep our jobs. We can’t afford to lose them. You know we’ll never find a job in the city if we do. They won’t hire us and I doubt we’ll have enough Gs to go further than that if we leave here.”

“We’re barely getting by as it is. All the pay we make gets sucked right back into Joja Corps pockets with their high prices, demands of only buying in their store, and paying their high rent for that crappy one-bedroom apartment. We will never get out of here.”

Thane frowned as he heard a sigh from the other person in the room. “We just have to keep trying. Maybe if we cut back to one meal a day, we can use the spare money for online schooling for one of us. If one of us gets a better job it’ll help, then we can pay for the rest of the schooling and finally get away from here.”

“We’re barely eating as it is. I don’t think we can last long on even less food.”

The voices fell silent for a minute before one of them said sullenly, “Come on, we need to get back to work before Morris docks our pay.”

When it grew quiet again, Thane finished making his way to the private office and pulled his phone out of his pocket. Once he got into position, he started the chat app and waited for Shepard to answer.

**TK: In position.**

**Shep: Copy.**

Thane placed the phone with the camera pointing toward the security panel and checked the text box.

**Shep: Left**

He shifted the phone, and she told him just a bit more. Then he used a few items from his pockets to stabilize the phone.

Thane stood on the bridge fishing as the time grew closer to the store closing. He nodded to Pam as she brushed past him, heading toward the bar. Shane growled out, “Night” as he walked home, and Sam stopped to talk for a few minutes before he yawned again and said he needed to get home.

Ten minutes later the lights in the JojaMart shut off and Thane heard a car door shut and the motor start.

When the lights from the trailer belonging to Pam and Penny went off, Thane packed the fishing rod into his backpack and shrugged it on. He moved into the shadows and disappeared.

Several minutes later, a shadow moved on the rooftop of the JojaMart and vanished.

Thane picked up his cellphone and Shepard typed in a six-digit code. Thane shut off the chat app and dropped the phone into his pack before removing the vent cover into the room. A quick look around and he noticed there were no cameras inside. There was, however, a terminal and on it were the video feeds from the other cameras. Thane quickly dropped into the room and tapped the code on the keypad when a light flashed red. When it turned green, he looked around.

After an hour of searching, he jimmied open the last drawer in the cheaply made wooden desk and found a file folder inside marked “Stardew Valley. Private. Regional Plans for Enactment.” He skimmed over it, then took out his phone and photographed each of the pages before putting it all back exactly how it was. An hour later he slipped out of Robin’s shed after putting her tools back and took the shortcut home. 


	21. New Neighbors

* * *

Shepard looked over the documents Thane photographed as she ate another granola bar. He still snoozed on his bedroll and needed the rest.

She grimaced when she read the outlined tactics used to get rid of the small businesses and what they planned for the area. She hissed quietly when she read several emails from Morris to the Corporation Headquarters notifying them of someone purchasing the farm. She kept reading and frowned at the part about turning their farm into high-rise building lots. They just hadn’t wanted to pay the 10K Gs for it. Their plan was once they got the Mayor to sell them the community center, and tore it down to build a warehouse distribution center in its place, Lewis would sell the farm for dirt cheap.

The two of them arriving and buying the place put a crimp in their plans. One they had worked out a solution to by driving Pierre out of business faster. Hence forcing her and Thane to buy from them, which would eat away their profits because they wouldn’t pay as much for the produce and charge much more for the seeds and other items they needed to make their farm work. Once they failed to complete the purchase of the farm, Morris would approach Lewis with a low offer and bulldoze everything down and start building their high-cost apartments “within walking distance to the ocean”.

Shepard laid Thane’s phone down and went outside to water the crops.

* * *

“Thane! Wake up! You’ve got to see this!” Shepard yelled as she thrust the door open.

Thane jumped up and dropped into a fighting crouch before he realized they weren’t in any danger.

“Siha. Please, for the love of Arashu, do not attempt to stop my heart by shouting me awake.”

“Get your shorts on, Thane. Hurry before they leave,” Shepard said and waved her hand at him before turning to look out the door. She heard him sigh and the rustle of clothing.

“Alright, Shepard. Show me what has you so excited.”

Shepard didn’t waste a second before grabbing his hand and pulling him out the door at a dead run toward the beehives.

They skidded to a halt near one of the few remaining oak trees on this side of the property, and Shepard pointed toward the hives.

Thane blinked in wonder.

What had been two dark brown triangular shaped hives just the day before were now giant ceramic pots filled with roses of delicate pink, soft blue, and a very pale purple. His eyes narrowed as he saw tiny flying objects near the pots. He took several steps closer and noticed the same colors adorning the objects. A few more steps brought him closer, and he stiffened as one came flying toward him. His eyes crossed as he tried to get a better look at the object and saw it was a tiny, winged being wearing a blue dress.

He gasped as the tiny thing waved to him before flying back toward the giant pots of flowers.

Thane turned toward Shepard.

“Hek’iat,” he whispered at the same time as Shepard grinned and whispered, “fairies.”

“These are the helpers Hollander mentioned?” Thane asked as he turned back toward the flower pots. Shepard moved to stand beside him and shrugged.

“I don’t know, but something happened last night. And this morning we have fairies. We also have two jars of honey already inside the chest. I think they put them there. If you look closer at the pots, you’ll see where the bees go in and out has a door below it. There’s even a very tiny doorknob on it. And our jar count is down by two.”

Thane moved away from the shade of the tree and closer to them. He knelt down to exam the closest one better. “We should not refer to these as hives any longer. The Hek’iat have built homes among the flowers.”

Shepard bent down to see what Thane pointed at and saw mushrooms with small doors and smokestacks sitting between the thick flower stems. One of the fairies stepped out of their house. She gave a startled jump before running back inside and slamming the tiny door. They saw her peeking through a small round window a second later.

“Do you think more will move in when we build additional bee houses?” Shepard asked as she leaned her head on Thane’s shoulder as they continued to watch a couple of fairies come out of their homes to look at the humans staring at them.

“More than likely. It makes me think Hollander knew about the Junimos and the magic here as well, not just about the wizard. This may have been a way for him to keep the magic of the valley alive.”

After another minute they smiled at the small creatures before heading back toward the farmhouse.

* * *

Shepard fiddled with the television until she got the Valley station to come in clearer.

“Thank you for joining us. As we mentioned yesterday it’s a brand new season. Today we will tell all of you fisherfolk about the fish available to catch this season. During the day in the forest rivers are the dorado, a bright orange scaled fish known for its carnivorous nature. Be sure to catch them while you can, as this fish only appears in our waters during the summer season. Also found in the forest rivers and in the mountain streams is the rainbow trout, a delectable fish used in many recipes. You can only find this fish during the sunny summer days.

“If you like to fish in the ocean here are this season’s catches. Pufferfish are only available for brief times during the sunny days of summer, so you have to be quick. Local lore tells us pufferfish can only be caught between noon and 4 PM so have your pole ready. And if you’re planning on spending the entire day at the ocean, why not start in the early morning? Octopus can be caught between 6 AM and 1 PM rain or shine. Also available during summer are tuna, tilapia, red snappers, and red mullets. Looking for something a bit more exotic? Hang around for some night fishing and try your luck at catching the rare purple super cucumbers.

“The Stardew Valley lakes and rivers teem with sturgeon and pike during the summer. Have fun and good luck catching them all.”

Shepard began flipping through the Junimo journal and shoved the book toward Thane. “We need to fish. Oh man, they want almost everything available this season and some of these things will complete boxes.”

Thane turned off the television and placed a few food items in his pack before adding the bamboo rod to it. “I’ll start fishing. Anything not on the list I’ll sell to Willy, maybe we can afford another rod by the end of the day. I’d better hurry. If I’m lucky, I can get one or two of those octopus things he mentioned, and those pufferfish. I’ll call you later.”

He bent down and kissed her. His hand tightened on the back of her head as he groaned into her mouth before tearing himself away and hurrying out the door.

* * *

Shepard trudged up the mountain path keeping an eye open for any forageable items and paused when she felt her phone vibrate in her back pocket.

“Hey, Sebastian, what’s up?”

“Just making sure our road trip is still on. You know it’s not my thing to be up at the ass crack of dawn to cart someone clear to Zuzu City.”

Shepard laughed. “I know, and it’s still on. I got your Gs ready, and I really appreciate it.”

“Yeah, well, you and Thane are about the only two in this damn town who appreciates what I do. You guys ready to join the internet revolution?”

Shepard snorted, “We’ve got to be able to buy a terminal first unless like the phones, you have one lying around or know how to pull one out of your ass for us.”

Sebastian barked out a laugh and started coughing.

“Those cigarettes will do you in one of these days.”

“Shit, not you too.” A slight pause happened before Sebastian continued, “I know. I’ve tried to cut back, but every damn time I do some shit happens and I start chain-smoking again.”

“Using them as stress relief?”

“I suppose so.”

“Ever think about a different way to relieve stress?”

“Are you propositioning me? I’m going to call Thane and tell him,” he snickered.

Shepard laughed, “Hell no, kid. Thane and I both had extremely stressful jobs and we have methods we can teach you, if you’re interested.”

There was no answer, and Shepard thought the connection dropped. She held the phone away from her and saw they were still connected. She heard him say, “I’ll think about it,” as she put the phone back to her ear.

“Alright. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“See ya, Shepard.”

* * *

Shepard stopped at the community center and put the sweet pea and grape cluster into the summer box, then checked the chest they had placed near the fish tank. She saw two fish inside and pulled them out and dropped them into the boxes.

Shepard jogged down the steps toward the town center and saw Mayor Lewis hammering against the wall of Pierre’s shop.

“Splendid afternoon, Mayor.”

“Well good afternoon, Shepard. I hope you are enjoying this summer day.”

“I am. What’s going on?”

“Oh, this? I thought I’d put up a small help-wanted bulletin board. The town used to have a small listing section on the website, but it seemed the only time anyone checked the site was when it got close to festivals and things. This board should get more people looking at it and posting as they go about their business in town. I’m hoping it will help more of us to interact together. Why don’t you look at the newest posting? Maybe it’s something you can help with.”

Shepard nodded and waited until the Mayor moved before she read the posting.

‘Help wanted: Due to overpopulation I need someone to catch and bring me three sunfish. Will pay 90Gs on delivery and you get to keep the fish. Demetrius.’

“Hmm, sounds easy enough. What is this symbol in the upper corner of the paper?”

Lewis looked where she pointed, “Ah, they would like to have their job completed within two days. The one at the bottom is the acceptance notification.”

Shepard grunted and brought out her phone to snap a picture of the request.

“If you’re interested in filling the requests, you’ll need the Stardew Valley QR reader app which Sebastian made. I can help you download and install it if you want.”

Shepard nodded and handed the mayor her phone and watched while he accessed the app listings and installed the one she needed.

“All you need to do is start the app and hold the phone up to where you get the square into the border area. It’ll turn green then tap the checkmark and it’ll send the poster a notice that someone accepted their request.”

“Sounds simple enough, I’ll let Thane know so he can get the app as well. Thanks, Mayor.” Shepard lined up the phone and accepted the request, then headed toward Pierre’s door.

Shepard glanced around as she entered the shop. “Hey, Pierre. Got a minute to talk? It’s important and concerns your shop.”

“Sure, everyone is in the back for their exercise day and won’t be able to hear us over the music playing back there. What’s going on?”

“Thane and I came into some information about Joja Corp and what their planning for the Valley. They want to shut you down, demolish our farm, buy everything dirt cheap so they can build a warehouse center, and a bunch of high-rise apartments here. They want to destroy this valley and turn it into an oceanside city. Pelican town will be wiped out and turned into another Zuzu City.”

Pierre sat on his stool and ran a hand through his hair, “How did you find...”

Shepard held up a finger. “Nope, can’t tell ya. Just know the information came from a source close to Joja Corp. Thane and I are trying to at least stop some of what’s going on. If we can keep them from getting our farm and talking the Mayor into selling the community center to them, then we’re halfway there. We need you to do your best to hang in there. We got a few bee houses up and running and will add what we can as fast as we can.”

“Thanks, Shepard. But just a small supply of honey will not cut it. I’m running out of sugar, flour, vinegar, rice… hell, almost everything and all I get from Joja Distribution is ‘Sorry, Sir, it seems we’re having some issues and your order is on hold at the moment. We’ll get it filled as fast as we can.’”

Shepard nodded, “Yeah, that was part of what they had listed in their plans to force you out of business. What about other small businesses in other towns? Can they help out? Joja Corp can’t have shut them all down… yet.”

“I don’t know. I mean there are a few small towns but shipping will be more.”

“Put up a sign saying you’re willing to do what it takes to get quality goods for your neighbors. You appreciate their business and will work hard to find a more reliable and higher quality source for their most desired items. It might take a season or two and cut into your profits a bit, but we’re trying our damnedest to help you.”

Pierre nodded and pushed up his glasses. “I’ll get on the small business pages and make some contacts. Thanks, Shepard.”

* * *

Shepard headed for the beach and stumbled to a halt a scant distance from the pier when a green Junimo popped into view in front of her and started bouncing around. Shepard looked around to see if anyone else was nearby before turning back toward the Junimo.

“What?” she whispered hoarsely.

The Junimo bounced and turned in a circle and kept bouncing. Shepard knelt down and saw the Junimo point to the sand.

“I don’t understand.”

The Junimo bounced again, then disappeared in a small puff of green smoke. Shepard looked down at the sand and couldn’t see anything strange about it. She just stood back up and brushed the sand from her knees when the Junimo appeared again, dropping a scroll at her feet.

She opened the scroll and read. “Junimos will help the town. We shall help the chosen ones. Dig where we show.”

Shepard read the note again before putting it in her pack. The Junimo began bouncing again and Shepard pulled out the hoe from the side pocket of her pack.

“Here?”

The Junimo bounced a few more times, then disappeared. Shepard raised the hoe and brought it down on the sand.

She knelt back down and brushed the remaining sand off the object she uncovered. “What the hell is this?” she muttered as she picked up the object and turned it over in her hands. The metal handle wiggled and she carefully spread it a bit more, revealing a piece of cloth with something painted on it. She grunted as she stood up and put it into her pack. Maybe Gunther at the museum would know what it was.

Thane brought in another red mullet and dropped it into his opened pack when Shepard called out to him.

“Hey, how’s it going? I put the two fish you had in the community center chest into their boxes and stopped to talk to Pierre.”

Thane smiled and nodded toward his bag. “Summer fishing is quite bountiful. I’m having great luck today.”

“Nice. One of our little bouncing friends decided to help us out as well. Apparently, there are things hidden under the dirt around here and they’ll help us find them.”

Thane’s eyebrow rose as he tossed the line back out. “That’s rather odd.”

Shepard grunted and pulled Thane’s phone from his back pocket and installed the QR app. “The Mayor put up a help-wanted board in front of Pierre’s. The villagers are offering rewards to bring them stuff. I will need to borrow the fishing pole, got a job for Demetrius I want to take care of.”

Thane hummed as she slid the phone back into his pocket after explaining the app. “Why don’t you go sell those fish to Willy. Maybe we’ll have enough to buy a new rod.”

Shepard grabbed up the pack and went inside the bait shop. When she came back out she carried his pack along with a new rod.

“Fiberglass rod. Willy showed me how to bait it and I bought something he called tackle for it; he swore it would entice fish to bite faster.” She showed him how to bait it before taking the old bamboo rod and dropping it into her own pack and pouring the rest of the bait chunks into the small jar inside the chest they kept next to the crab pots. “I’m taking this lobster home. We’ll boil it tonight for dinner.”

“I’ll sell the rest of the fish before I head home tonight, Shepard.”

* * *

Shepard dropped the stack of 90Gs into the paper sack and hid it inside their clothes basket when the front door opened and Thane walked in.

“We made another two thousand Gs from today’s catches, not including what we spent for our new pole. Using bait and tackle works wonders. We also ended up getting some larger fish, which Willy paid more Gs for.”

Shepard blinked as Thane added the cash to the bag and hid it again. “That’s a pretty damn excellent day of fishing.”

Thane nodded, “I caught several duplicate fish the Junimos wanted, and they brought in the most Gs. If we can get a few more days like this one, we might get our house upgraded by the end of the season.”

The thought of an actual bedroom and kitchen brought smiles to their faces as they settled down for their dinner.


	22. Earthquake

* * *

They were sound asleep when the shaking started. Thane jumped up when the floor lamp fell over with a crash.

“Siha!”

“It’s an earthquake, Thane! Get away from the windows,” Shepard shouted and headed for the doorway of their small shack and braced herself against the door frame. Thane stood behind her and covered her smaller body with his own. “Shit! If we had a fucking table to hide under, I’d feel better. This doorway won’t cut it if those are a regular occurrence,” she yelled as the window shattered.

The shaking continued for several minutes. When it seemed to calm down Shepard and Thane moved away from the door. Thane flipped the light switch. Shepard shook her head when the light didn’t come on.

“The town probably suffered damage. It’s not unusual for power and stuff to be out for a while.” She reached down and put her shoes on her bare feet and he followed her example.

“Get the lanterns while I get the broom and start sweeping up the glass. We must check the sleeping bags for shards before using them again.”

“At least it’s not cold,” Thane muttered as he turned on both lanterns and helped to clean up the broken glass.

Shepard sighed, “Well, it could have been worse. We could have had furniture to get broken in this mess, too.”

Thane grunted and gathered up the two blankets they had stashed in a bag in the corner from spring and spread them out on the other side of the shack away from the broken window. When Shepard finished cleaning up the mess, she checked her phone and saw a town message.

“Please report any damage to power lines or downed trees immediately. If you need emergency rescue or health services dial *18. Report full or partial power outages by dialing *22. Remain indoors and away from windows and stairways. Be aware of aftershocks.”

After reporting their power outage, she sent a quick email to Robin telling her of the broken window and asked for a quote on repair as soon as possible.

* * *

Shepard groaned as quietly as she could when her alarm went off two hours after they laid back down. She didn’t bother to wash, only dressed, and slipped out the door in the pre-dawn hour. She went to look at their fields and put the scarecrow back upright before checking the one down in the honey area.

She just made her way back to the entrance of the farm when she heard Sebastian’s motorcycle.

* * *

  
  


Thane stood at the broken window and watched Shepard climb on the back of Sebastian’s vehicle and wrap her arms around him. Thane’s hands tightened into fists and he moved toward the door to confront them, only to hear the revving of the engine as Sebastian turned the motorcycle around and headed back down the road. He picked up his phone and didn’t see a message or note explaining why she woke up so early or where she was heading.

He put his clothes on and went outside to water the plants. She better have an excellent reason for not only leaving him to take care of the farm work but for also leaving with Sebastian.

* * *

When they arrived at the medical office building, Shepard handed Sebastian the paper sack with his pay in it. “Don’t run off and leave me here, Sebastian,” Shepard said as he tucked the bag into an inner coat pocket.

“You promised me food. I’m not going anywhere. Well, to be honest, I’m going across the street to the coffee shop to wait. Just come over there and get me when you’re ready to start back,” he said as he shouldered his pack.

* * *

Shepard sat in the waiting room after filling out the paperwork and twiddled her thumbs. She pulled out her phone when she felt it vibrating, letting her know she received a message.

She saw the email notice and swiped to read it.

‘Shepard, I will drop by later this week to give a quote. I’ll stop by later tonight to put up a sheet of plastic over the window since it’s calling for rain tomorrow. There was a lot of damage in town, and in case you didn’t hear, the earthquake dislodged the enormous boulder blocking the way to the railroad and spa and it will take a lot of work to repair it. Robin.’

“Mrs. Krios? The doctor is ready for you now.”

Shepard jerked and looked up at the nurse and nodded. She still wasn’t used to being Thane’s fake wife.

After a myriad number of blood tests, hormonal tests, and a mandatory check of her reproductive system, the doctor finally explained the procedure and inserted the rod. Shepard sighed and paid the fee.

She shook her head as she saw how much time went by and hurried across the street. Sebastian’s black eyebrow rose as he picked up his phone and tapped the symbol for the clock showing her that three hours had passed and not the single hour she said it would take.

“I’m sorry, Sebastian. The procedure only took a few minutes where I come from, but this damn doctor insisted on all these extra tests and you know how they are.”

He snorted as he slid the tab for his coffees and pastries toward her. She huffed before calling over the waitress and paying the bill.

“You okay for the ride back? Or was there someplace else you want to go while we’re here?”

Shepard shook her head, “Let’s grab lunch then fill up and head back. Thane’s probably wondering where I’m at as it is.”

Sebastian blinked, “You didn’t tell him you were coming to town?”

She shrugged, “I’m not used to telling people where I go or what I’m doing.”

He shook his head, “Thane better not get pissed at me for bringing you here. And I really hope to Yoba he doesn’t think something’s going on with us. I get the feeling I don’t want to be on his bad side.”

* * *

After a quick lunch, they stopped at a station where Sebastian filled the tank and checked a few things on his bike before turning toward Stardew Valley.

It was almost 5 PM before they arrived back in Stardew Valley. Sebastian dropped Shepard off next to the lane heading back to the farm while he took the road back to the carpenter’s shop.

She hefted her pack and started walking down the path. She heard the rumble of Robin’s truck and looked up as the horn blew.

“Hey there, I just put up the sheet of plastic. I’ll be by at the end of the week when I’ve got time for an actual quote, but it looks like I’ll have to replace the window frame along with the glass because of the warping of the wood. I’ll send you a message when I can swing by. When I get the spa up and running again you guys should come by, nothing like soaking in a mineral spa after an interminable day of work.”

“Sounds great, let me know when it’s open again. Thanks, Robin.”

* * *

  
  


Shepard groaned as she walked up the steps to the shack. The light was on inside and she could see Thane pacing.

She opened the door and bent to remove her shoes.

“May I inquire as to where you have been?”

Shepard straightened and raised an eyebrow as she walked to the corner of their shack and dropped her pack next to the clothes basket.

“There was something I needed to do in town.”

Thane waited and when no further information was forthcoming from her he said, “Apparently, it was not business in Pelican Town as no one saw you today. Well, except for Sebastian it seems.”

Shepard removed the lid from the still-hot frying pan and saw fried fish with the last of their spring onions and potatoes.

“Thanks for making dinner and taking care of the plants today. I checked for damage this morning and reset the scarecrows before leaving.”

Thane hummed and watched as she dished out the meal and sat cross-legged on the floor.

He waited for her to give him an answer. She didn’t, and he made a soft growling noise before sitting down and picking up the plate she had placed in his usual spot.

“I would appreciate an answer to my inquiry. Where did you go and why?”

Shepard slowed in her chewing and looked at him. “My business, Thane. It was something I couldn’t handle in Pelican Town so I had to go to the bigger town. Your food is getting cold.”

He waited another minute before he ate.

“Out of curiosity, Thane. What the hell is that thing sitting in the corner over there?” Shepard asked as she pointed her fork toward a machine sitting between the fireplace and the tea leaf drying rack.

“Well, while you were out doing whatever it was you were doing and leaving me to take care of the farm… I decided to build one of Hollander’s loom machines for when the cotton we planted is ready. According to the book, unlike wool, which comes from something called sheep and also rabbits, cotton cloth takes three pieces to make. Wool, however, only needs to use the amount harvested from each creature. It is sitting in the house as I don’t suppose anyone would be interested in wet cloth if the machine sits outside in the rain.”

“Sheep are animals if I remember right. Raised for their wool and meat. Maybe we should ask Marnie. We can see what they are and if they would be worth getting, what we would need to raise them, and all that.”

“Hmm. Farming is a most difficult profession. Very time-consuming and physically demanding. Not to mention adhering to a strict calendar, needing to maintain appropriate levels of items so you either don’t run out or waste storage space with items no one needs or wants.”

Shepard nodded in agreement. “I need to go wash up. I’ll take care of dinner clean up when I come back in. I’d like a closer look at the loom. It looks rather interesting, to say the least.”

“Yes, well, just like everything else I’ve built using Hollander’s blueprints, it didn’t initially look like that.”

* * *

  
  


When Shepard returned, she dumped her dirty laundry in the steel washtub and went to examine the machine. She ran her hand lightly over the pale wood of a large wheel attached to a small table. One high-sided box sat against the back of the wheel while another rested on the floor under a small drawer.

“What the book said was to place the wool or cotton in the box on the table and put the lid on then make sure the drawer was firmly in place. Once we check those, turn the wheel slowly one-quarter turn to the right and let go of it. The machine will begin to spin on its own and create the item. When the product is finished the drawer will open and deposit the bolt of cloth into the box on the floor.”

Shepard frown and looked at him. “Sort of hard to believe.”

He snorted. “Having wooden bee hives turn into giant flower pots with resident Hek’iat overnight is hard to believe. This… not so much.”

“True.”

Shepard started to turn away from him when he reached out and grabbed her around the bicep. She hissed in pain and he immediately let go of her.

“Shepard? What’s wrong? Why are you in pain?”

He didn’t wait for an answer before taking a hold of her forearm and pushing up the sleeve of her t-shirt. He growled when he saw the bruising and primitive stitching holding an incision closed. “What happened? Who cut you?”

Shepard sighed and gently tugged at her arm. He let go and blocked her way. This time he wanted an answer, and she saw it in his eyes that he wouldn’t drop it.

“I had to go to a medical office in Zuzu City because Doctor Harvey didn’t have the training or license to take care of something for me. The doctors here haven’t progressed enough to have cloned skin or medi-gel to take care of after-surgery incisions.”

“What did they do?”

Shepard stared at him belligerently and crossed her arms over her chest. Thane stared at her with the icy look in his eyes he had as an assassin and assumed his normal pose with his hands behind his back and laced together. Deceptively calm and relaxed, yet ready to spring into action.

Shepard huffed, “Gods, you can be so stubborn.”

Thane’s lips twitched only slightly and his left eyebrow rose in an exact copy as her own, which caused her to roll her eyes.

“Doctor Harvey could only prescribe me something he called a birth control pill which I would have to take daily. Every day without fail. You know how I get. I couldn’t even remember to feed my fish every day, let alone take a small pill. So after I described the inhibitor rods to him, he searched the medical database and found something similar here. It’s experimental though and hasn’t been fully tested. So… so the doctor informed me whenever I had intercourse, my male partner would have to take precautions as well.”

Thane relaxed. “You didn’t have to hide what you were doing, Shepard. I would have gone to the doctors with you. I’m sure the Mayor would have lent us his vehicle.”

Shepard laughed. “Do you know how to drive one of these vehicles? Because I sure don’t.”

Thane paused and blinked before he chuckled, “No, I don’t suppose I do either.” He took a few steps closer and gently touched the wound. “How long will this take to heal?”

Shepard shrugged. “I have to keep it clean and watch so I don’t tear the stitches. I also need to make sure the area doesn’t get too banged around because it’s only inserted under the skin, not attached to an implant like the ones from our own reality.”

His thumb stroked below the angry-looking incision and grinned slightly. “Does this mean you are ready to resume the intimate part of our relationship?”

Shepard chewed her lip before she chuckled. “Um… the doctor said no sex until the hormones have had the chance to circulate and regulate everything.”

His shoulders slumped, and she laughed. “Sorry?”

He heaved a heavy sigh and grinned. “I am a patient man… most of the time.”

“Good, because he said it will take at least a season, and Doctor Harvey has to send him some blood test results before he signs off on the rod.”

Thane hissed in disbelief.


	23. The Pelican Town Spa Bath

* * *

They woke to the sound of rain hitting the roof and plastic sheeting over the window.

Shepard stretched as Thane rolled off the thin blankets with a groan and turned on the lamp. “It’s really coming down out there.” The sky lit up with a bright white glow and a crack of thunder sounded nearby.

“I’m glad Robin put the plastic over the broken window,” he said as he looked out the other one.

“Me too. Did she tell you the other news?”

Thane hummed and turned toward her. “What news?”

“The earthquake dislodged the enormous boulder above her house and unblocked the railroad and spa bath access. She said she couldn’t repair our window right away because the spa had been damaged pretty badly. It also means the railroad is running through again and can bring passengers. The Fall Market Festival should bring in a crowd.”

“Which means we can make some better Gs and possibly make a large payment toward the loan on the farm.”

She nodded as she fiddled with the radio, turning it to the morning’s news.

“Good morning, Stardew Valley. Today’s weather will be thunderstorms throughout the day. Be aware of lightning strikes. If you have lightning rods get them into place to protect your buildings, trees, and for those farmers out there, your crops as well.

“The big news is the opening of the mountain path leading to the Pelican Town Spa and Railroad. As all of you know, an accidental explosion caused by Joja Corp last fall right before the Market Festival, blocked the entrance into the spa and railroad depot. It’s certainly wonderful news for the town. With the railroad running again, this year’s market is sure to draw a crowd looking for homemade foods and handcrafted decorations our small town is known for. Make sure to plan ahead of time for the market.

“Robin tells us it will take her some time to repair the Spa. Until officially announced the Spa remains closed.

“Another festival is coming up soon. The town’s Summer Luau. The Mayor wants to remind you to be on your best behavior as the Governor of Ferngill Republic is due to attend this year’s festival. Marnie wants to add a reminder they expect everyone to bring something to add to the enormous soup pot. She also warns Sam; should he dump in another pound of anchovies like he did the last time the Governor attended and became incredibly ill from it, she would be the one assigning your community service and not the Mayor.”

Thane and Shepard both started laughing because they could imagine Sam doing something like that on a dare from his friends.

“Willy wants to remind everyone who loves to fish that certain rare catches can only be made in the rain. So get out there and start fishing.

“At the same time, Doctor Harvey wishes to remind you not to overexert yourself in this weather.

“We want to take a moment to pass on Marnie and Shane’s wishes to Jas for a happy birthday. A quick reminder, Jas won the Spring’s Egg hunt with ten eggs this year and took home the grand prize.”

Another enormous boom happened, and the light from the lamp flickered for a moment before becoming steady again.

“Now for tomorrow’s weather. The summer sun will once again be out. Doctor Harvey wishes to tell everyone to take precautions to stay hydrated and inside as much as possible. Or at least take breaks throughout the workday and sit in the shade or where it’s cooler. A nice sun hat and an application of sunscreen on your exposed skin wouldn’t be amiss either. If you need sunscreen, stop in at the office. We have several tubes of it available for sale at the counter.

“And before signing off until the noon hour when Doctor Harvey updates us; here’s today’s luck forecast by Madame Welwick.

“Thank you, Maru. Today’s spirits are showing me… The spirits are in good humor today. I think you’ll have a little extra luck.”

Shepard turned off the radio and shrugged into her yellow rain gear. “Hot damn, that means the mine will pay out with better drops and maybe more ore.”

“I’ll go to the mine this time, Shepard. Swinging the pickaxe or the regular axe is out of the question until your arm heals. Why don’t you go fishing? Perhaps get the fish the Junimos are still looking for.”

“Alright, but take the bamboo rod with you. The 20th floor is flooded, and I heard fish jumping in there. Maybe something’s there for the Junimos or will bring in a bunch of Gs for us.”

Thane nodded before he tugged the floppy, red vinyl rain hat on his head and picked up his pack. “Hollander’s book mentioned those lightning rods. I’ll make a few when we get enough iron bars. We have plenty of other things.”

“We need to get more bee houses made as well.”

They opened the door to another flash of lightning and thunderous crack. After checking the crops and scarecrow, they went to check on the two bee houses. Tiny lights shone around the flowers, but none of the fairies were flying around outside. After making sure the area’s scarecrow was firmly in place and the flower seeds were still there, they headed toward the mountain lake.

Shepard put the gigantic spice berry inside her pack as she shook her head. “No wonder it only takes a single fruit to make an entire jar of jam. These crops are still mind-boggling.” Thane nodded in agreement as he emptied his pack of everything but the tools he needed for inside the mine, a stack of granola bars, and a couple bottles of water. They found out at the end of last season they couldn’t place chests inside the mine so made sure not to take anything along they didn’t absolutely need. Marlon also warned them should they pass out inside the mine the creatures had a habit of making off with anything shiny which was in their packs. So they left all their money at home or with the one not going into the mine as a precaution.

After a swift kiss, Thane headed inside while Shepard baited her fishing pole and moved toward the Adventurer’s Guild. The building’s overhang would give her a bit of protection from the pouring down rain.

* * *

An hour after beginning to fish, she finally caught the last of the lake fish the Junimos asked for and started toward the town. Robin saw her as she walked out of her garage and yelled at Shepard.

When they were inside the Carpenter’s Shop and out of the nasty weather, Robin offered her a cup of coffee which Shepard enthusiastically agreed to.

“This storm will add even more work to what I have piling up. The reason I called out to you was I wanted to discuss a few things with you. The first being the repair of your window. After I made it home last night, I started to think. The side of the house the window was on faced the well, and the house upgrade plans I’ve drawn up for the farmhouse has me removing that wall and adding on a bedroom there. After looking at the plans again, I redid them. If I rearranged a few things with the plan, I can also offer a bathroom upgrade. It would be next to the bedroom which, of course, would mean moving the wall and taking out the window again. I know you guys are still struggling. So, what if I hang a tarp over the wall for now until you’re ready to upgrade your home? It will save you Gs from having the window repaired since, for tax purposes, I can add the window in with the purchase of the upgrade. It won’t cost you more, because I’ll get a discount on the building supplies I have to purchase outside the valley. Window panes, electrical wiring, and the like. I can even add a fireplace in the bedroom for a few more Gs and supplies if you provide it.”

Shepard took another sip of the hot, heavenly brew and sighed. Robin grinned at her.

“How much are we talking about? We were hoping to have enough Gs by the end of the season for the upgrade. We’re both tired of sleeping on the floor.”

Robin removed a small notebook from her pocket and flipped through it. “The bathroom upgrade will cost another 5,000 Gs, along with 150 wood, 50 stone, and 10 Clay. I’ll build the room, add electricity, and water piping. I suggest you run the line from the town with it. It will also make it easier when your farm grows and you want to add a sprinkler system.”

“How much extra for hooking up to the town’s water?”

Robin put her own cup of still-steaming coffee on the scrubbed wooden tabletop and leaned back in her chair. “Well, normally it would be close to 2,000 to run the piping and pumping system that far,” she heard Shepard groan and smirked, “As I said, normally, but… for you and Thane, I’ll cut the price in half. As a thank you for treating Sebby fairly. My boy gets a lot of flack from some townsfolk, and those outsiders who come during the festivals are usually worse. They judge him before getting to know him, but neither one of you ever has. I’m sad to say you’re better to him than my husband is.”

Shepard sighed, “Sebastian is a good kid, and extremely smart. He is a talented young man with computers and programming. We meant what we said at the festival. People with his skills were in demand at some of the largest companies around. Not to say that Maru isn’t just as brilliant. But… I’ve seen so many scientists drunk on their own power, so many wanting to push things past a limit where it goes from helping humanity to creating abominations, destroying or mutating things just ‘to see what would happen if...’ Not to mention setting aside morality because it was beneath them or in the way of progress. Now, that’s not to say we also hadn’t seen advancements in tech go haywire or out of control when a programmer pushes things as well.”

Robin sipped more coffee and looked at Shepard over the rim of the cup. “Is that why you left your hometown?”

Shepard turned her cup in a circle, “Partly. Many things were happening all at once. People fighting each other instead of learning to work together. People doing horrendous things in the name of science or the advancement of humanity. Everything was being destroyed, and no one wanted to take off their rose-colored glasses to see what was going on around them until it was too late and it ripped away those glasses. Then they all clamored for help. Thane and I were part of a group who were trying to help and our requests were being blocked in almost everything by people not willing to lend aid unless we did something for them first. Never mind the longer we took because of those demands, the more damage we suffered.”

“But you’re here now. Did everything get sorted?”

Shepard snorted, “I don’t know. Thane was severely injured and his son took him someplace to… rest. I didn’t think I’d see him again. When things… settled I was helped here as was Thane to have a fresh start in life away from the disasters. The only problem is we can’t contact his son or our friends. Lines of communication are broken.”

Robin stared at her, “Truthfully, were you guys really car-jacked?”

Shepard rubbed the side of her nose as she returned Robin’s stare. “More like kidnapped and dumped into the area with just the clothes on our backs.”

“Damn that sounds even worse.”

Shepard shrugged, “It’s working out though. Thanks to Sebastian, you, Mayor Lewis, and a few others, we’re doing pretty damn good for not knowing where we were or anything about the area. Thane’s healthier now than he has been in many years, which is more than we expected. And we are very grateful for it.”

“I remember Harvey saying something concerning Thane’s lungs, and I noticed Sebby doesn’t smoke around him.”

Shepard looked down at the table, “Yeah. Thane’s people originally come from an arid area. His lungs couldn’t handle any humidity. Unfortunately, his training and job had him out in the rain too much. He became ill, contracting a non-communicable disease that was slowly destroying his lungs. When we met, his life expectancy was about a year. He had already beaten the odds and lived past the original date the doctors gave him. We had hoped for more time, then he was injured and the doctors said he wouldn’t recover. His son took him for… rest, as I said. Only somehow the person who kidnapped us got his disease into remission, something like a cure for him between the time Kolyat took him and when we woke up on one of your beaches.”

Robin had stopped in the middle of raising her cup to her mouth and blinked.

“He was dying?”

Shepard nodded. “But he’s healthy now with no sign of the disease returning. He goes to see Harvey every two weeks even though the doctor tells him nothing is wrong.” Shepard glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall. “Thanks for the coffee and the update on the construction plans. I’ve got to get going, though, if I’m going to get down to the ocean and make some Gs until the crops are ready.”

“You’re welcome. Don’t be a stranger, come on by anytime, not just when you’re ready to have me build something.” She grinned at Shepard who returned it as she shoved her hair up under the yellow rain hat.

“When I have more time, I will. I want to look through your furniture catalog to see what you have in the way of tables and chairs. Not to mention a bed.”

Robin laughed. “As soon as you can get online, you can check out the catalog anytime. Sebby has it uploaded on my website. You can even place orders for furniture with it. Expansions and upgrades, however, still have to be done in person so we can look at the property map and figure out the best placement for it.”

* * *

Before Shepard began fishing, Willy told her there was a difference between the red mullet fish and the red snapper. Yes, they were both red, but the fin placement on the snapper was different and they could only catch the snappers when it rained.

She kept fishing until almost 3 o’clock. Now, she once more stomped out of Willy’s bait shop with her pocket stuffed with Gs, but still no red snapper.

Shepard dropped yet another red mullet fish into her pack when her phone rang.

“Shepard.”

“Siha, marvelous news. The lake in the mines supplied one of the specialty fish the Junimos asked us for. It also supplied quite a haul of trash and a strange fish. At first, I thought it was a block of stone, like the ones Clint used to build his blacksmith shop. On closer inspection, it is indeed a fish. I cleared mine levels 41 through 49 as well. I activate the lift to the 50th level. I also found 50 iron ores, three copper ores, 40 coal; which dropped from the oddest creature. Also, two round blue stones, two green shards, several tear-shaped objects, and if I am correct in my assumption, a dozen blue geodes to add to the pile to take to Clint to break open. And a pair of shoes sitting inside a chest on floor 50.”

“That is odd. I’ve caught one fish the Junimos asked for as well so we can finish out the one box. The other seems to be eluding me at the moment. One good thing is I stuffed my pockets with paper credits from catching all those fish.”

“Gs.”

“Whatever. Robin also talked to me earlier and has a building deal for us. I’ll tell you about it over dinner tonight, and you can tell me about the strange creatures which dropped all that coal.”

“I wish to continue to fish for a while longer. I would like to obtain more of these odd fish to show you before selling them. Shall I meet you at the community center around eight?”

Shepard grunted as she reeled in another fish. “Yeah. I hope I catch this damn fish. I’m getting tired of seeing these red fish and thinking I finally caught the red snapper only for Willy to tell me they were all mullets.”

Thane chuckled, and she could hear the splash of the fishing line landing in the water on his end. “I certainly wish you luck, Siha. I shall see you in a few hours.”

Shepard grunted as she baited her hook, wiped her hands on her raincoat, and slid the phone back in her pocket.

* * *

Shepard opened the door to the community center a little after 8 PM to see Thane standing near the broken aquarium placing a white fish into a box.

“Hey there.”

He turned and smiled after placing the lid back on. “Hello, did you catch the elusive red snapper?”

“Yep. Not only that, but I fished up something creepy, icky, and weird looking.”

His eyebrow rose as he stared at her. She crouched down and opened her pack to bring out the red snapper and sturgeon fishes. Once the lids were on their respective boxes, a blue Junimo hopped out of the small hut in the corner followed by a silver one.

“Here, look at this thing and tell me the one you caught was weirder than mine,” she said as she reached into her pack and brought out a long purple tube-like creature and shoved it at him.

“What in Arashu’s name is this thing?”

“I think it’s one of those rare purple super cucumber things the news said we could catch in the summer. If it is, it may be worth some money. Now, let me see your weird one.”

Thane showed her both fishes he caught, a white one the Junimo book said was a ghostfish and a strange one which really looked like a stone block.

“So weird. Oh, here comes the Junimos,” Shepard said when she heard the sproing.

The blue Junimo dropped its box near Thane while the silver one dropped the one they carried in front of Shepard then disappeared.

“Let’s see what we got,” Shepard said as she untied the red ribbon around the box and took off the lid.

She reached in and brought out another spinner. “Huh, this is just like the spinner on the new fishing pole. When we buy another one we will have one to attach to it. What did they give you?”

“I am not sure. They look like wooden dolls of some sort,” he said as he lifted one out of the box and handed it to her. Shepard pulled out her phone and used the camera’s light to look at it better.

“Looks like a totem. Actually, it looks like the one down at the beach with the blue paint on it.”

Thane cocked his head to the side and nodded. “Yes, I think you are correct. There are five identical creations in this box. Perhaps we should go to the library to see if there is any available information on them tomorrow.”

“Yeah, we need to drop off the thing I dug up, and have Gunther tell us what those stones are and if he wants them in the museum.”

Thane grunted, “Are you ready to go home?”

“Almost. We found the last of the foraging stuff too. I’ll be right back.”

Shepard returned a few minutes later with a small box in her hands. “More seeds. These look to be ones just for summer and have a giant spice berry drawing on them.”

“We’ll plant them in the morning.”

As Shepard cleaned the fish for dinner, Thane chopped up the fresh herbs and described the small coal colored creatures he encountered in the mine. They bounced like the Junimo and made a softer springing noise. And they dropped coal, lots of coal.

* * *

Almost a week went by and the temperature soared. The next day was the Summer Luau and promised to be sunny and hot again. Thane stood in the summer sun with just a pair of shorts and sandals on while watering the now blooming blue mist flower.

Fairies flew around him and sometimes landed on his shoulder or sat on top of his head as he moved around the honey area marking more sections with rocks. They had several more bee houses ready to put down and Shepard wanted a supply of poppy and summer spangle honey as well to sell at the market. Pierre told them the bees would use the closest flower to collect from or if they planted the flowers altogether, only the most expensive ones. So Thane began marking additional areas to separate the honey and also plant more flowers to sell as well.

Shepard sat on the porch and counted out their money as their clothes soaked in the washtub. She smoothed several paper sacks out and wrote on each one. One for taxes, one for the mortgage, one for the building fund, and the last for seed money.

A short time later, Thane plopped down on the porch and wiped his face and chest with a towel laying there, “How are we doing for funds?”

“With all the fishing, mining, and the sale of our first few bolts of cloth, we’re doing pretty well. I put two thousand in the tax bag, we’ve got a hefty one thousand for paying toward the mortgage, another thousand into the seed bag… and almost 11,000 in the building fund. Just another five and we’ll have enough to not only get Robin to upgrade the home for a bedroom and kitchen, but also an indoor bath. So no more worrying about freezing our asses off next season or someone peeking at us from the woods.”

Thane smiled and reached for a glass of water she handed him, “That is good. It will take care of the improvement stipulation on the agreement with the Mayor. When he comes to collect the taxes, I’ll show him around and see if the bee houses, flower sections, and the enlarged area of tilled soil is enough to classify the land as improved.”

Shepard looked up and nodded. “We’ve done a lot in a short time. But the land extends toward the west much further than we’ve cleared. It’s overgrown with trees so badly I can’t even see the cliff.”

“I am hoping to be able to put off the clearing of the area until winter. Pierre said available crops for the season are extremely limited. It will be a time for clearing the land, mining, and fishing. I spoke with Marnie as well. She agreed to let us come by the ranch the day after the festival to view her animals. The ranching book described the care of the creatures and the basic housing needs but didn’t go into significant detail. I need to see this for myself so the information is here,” he said as he pointed to his head.

“What are you going to do today, while I sit here in the sun and do laundry?” Shepard asked as she handed him the sacks of money.

“Go to the community center first, we placed several items into the chest and might as well drop them off. Then into the mine. I would like a few more iron bars before tomorrow. When the lightning struck the pine tree with our tapper on it and destroyed both the tapper and tree, I thought it best to begin gathering items for a few of them. We have the bat wings, and after making three rods, we shall still have enough left to place into the Junimo box, not counting the ones I will get today. The amount of saved up refined quartz more than handles our needs so far. Feeding the recycling machines has been quite the boon for us; resource-wise.”

“Any idea what we should bring to the luau?” Shepard asked as she swished the clothes around in the water.

“Lewis stopped me yesterday on the way to the farm and made it quite clear the food item was to be of prime quality and tasty. So far the only item of higher than mid-quality we found was one of those purple super cucumbers. Whether or not they are tasty, I do not know as I am having trouble coming to terms with humans actually eating one.”

Shepard started laughing. “Are you trying to tell me Kahje didn’t have something just as weird looking?”

“The Encompassing may have had such creatures, but most assuredly I didn’t partake in eating them.”

Shepard grinned, “Are you sure Irikah didn’t cook something up when she knew you were coming home?”

“My wife wouldn’t do… hmm, now that you mention it there were times she had an almost amused look on her face when I ate dinner. Kolyat started laughing as I told her how delicious the dinner was.”

“Uh-huh. Well, if that’s what we got, then it’ll have to do and hope the governor doesn’t get sick.”

“If so, we’ll blame it on Sam.”

* * *

Shepard crouched near the campfire tending the evening dinner when Thane arrived home carrying several items in his arms.

“Siha, come look at what I found inside the mine,” he said as he put the items on the porch and began to unload his pack.

He put the set of tundra shoes over to the side because she already knew about those. Their protection against the frozen floors of the mine levels they were working on to gather iron ore was a tremendous help.

“What is all this stuff? And where is the sword?”

After he emptied the bag, he sat on the step and told her about the day in the mine while she looked over the items.

“I took the lift to level 40 and made my way down as usual. I encountered a blue slime with a yellow flower growing from its head,” he said, and Shepard dropped the ring she held in her hand.

“Excuse me?”

“I killed the slime and not only did it drop the usual chunk of slime, but it dropped one of the rings you held. I searched out not only the ore or gem nodes but more of the slimes such as that one. I didn’t find any more. However, I came away with quite a few slime chunks, those two scrolls which I cannot read, the pile of sap, and a new weapon. The object is quite heavy and packs a punch.”

She lifted the weapon and gave a test swing, “It’s some kind of bat.”

He nodded and gestured back to the pile. “Today the creatures also dropped the purple gems, more coal and iron ore, aquamarines and jades so we can sell those. One of them even dropped this bar of gold.”

Shepard put the bat down and picked up the heavy bar. “This really is gold, isn’t it?”

Thane nodded. “The Junimos ask for a gold bar, but I was more interested in a recipe Hollander has in his book.”

“Which one?”

“He has something he calls a charcoal kiln. It turns wood into coal. While the trees grow quickly and we can obtain wood from every tree or branch we chop, coal doesn’t always drop from the rocks, and having to go into the mine to get more isn’t always feasible if we have other plans and only need a few pieces.”

“So we supply the kiln with wood, it turns it to coal, which we then use in the furnaces to make bars.”

Thane nodded.

“Alright. Sounds like it would save time, and the Junimos don’t mind waiting for their goods. But hold off on making it until after we get the house upgraded. We’ll need all the wood we can get our hands on until then.”

  
  


* * *

“Good morning, Stardew Valley. Today is the Summer Luau festival. It starts at 9 AM on the beach, be sure to arrive before 2 PM and bring something to add to the soup pot. Doctor Harvey reminds everyone to wear lightweight clothing and a sun hat.

“Sam sent in a request to the station to remind everyone to wear swimsuits. Even Sebastian.

“Gus will supply drinks, food, and an island hog to be slow-roasted over the pit. I hope to see everyone there.

“Tomorrow’s weather will be another scorcher.

“On a cheerful note, I was told this morning the Stardew Valley Spa is now ready and open. The bath is open around the clock to all residents and visitors. It’s a wonderful relaxing mineral spa. For those who are new to the valley or have never used a public spa, there are a few health regulations that must be followed.

“Thoroughly shower in the changing room before entering the actual spa. Swimsuits must be clean and worn at all times, as are shower shoes. Provide your own towels and bathing items. If you don’t have a pair of shower shoes, a dispenser is available at the entrance. These shoes are one-time use only. Please dispose of them in the marked recycling container as you exit the building.

“Pierre states permanent shoes will be available when his store reopens tomorrow.

“It’s hard to believe summer is almost half-way over. If you’re planning on having a stall at the Fall Market Festival, be sure to talk to Mayor Lewis tomorrow or as soon as you can to obtain your permit. The carpenter shop has market stalls available with the option of personalizing your stall awning’s color. Each one is collapsible and portable for convenience in assembling and relocating and reasonably priced.

“Here’s Madame Welwick with her luck forecast for today.”

“Thank you once again for the introduction, Maru. The spirits feel neutral today. The day is in your hands.”

“That’s it for today. We will return at midnight for another news update as Doctor Harvey and I will be enjoying the festival. Have a magnificent day.”

Shepard turned off the station and looked at Thane. “A bath or even just a shower. It sounds like pure heaven.”

Thane grinned, “Would you like to go before heading to the Luau? I know I would like to arrive clean and not smelling of sweat and dirt.”

They hurried through the morning chores and after planting the poppy seeds and summer spangle seeds they put down the bee houses. Which remained triangular shaped. Thane pointed out several fairies flying over to investigate before returning to watch over their bees and flowers.

Shepard emptied their packs and gathered up their bathing supplies as Thane went to check the mail.

“Another 500Gs for those sweet pea flowers you shipped.”

Shepard split the money into the different bags and made the adjustments to the totals before they left the shack.

* * *

As they approached the entrance to the tunnel leading to the spa, they saw several other people had the same idea for cleaning up before going to the festival.

“Hey there you two,” Robin said as she shifted the folded towel over her arm and got a better grip on the plastic carryall basket in her hand.

“Hi Robin, it looks like a bunch of people was waiting for the spa to reopen,” Shepard said as they followed the long tunnel.

“Yeah. The spa was one of the attractions of this town. The people would come in, make reservations to stay at the local hotel, and come here for the use of the mineral bath and stay for the festival. That was until last year when the railroad couldn’t stop here anymore until the entrance was clear again. The hotel shut down shortly afterward. The spa bath was damaged so badly that it darn near wiped out the town fund to get the materials I needed to repair it. I just hope the festival does well even without a hotel.”

“We have noticed quite a few buildings outside of town were closed. Was this a fairly recent occurrence?”

Robin nodded at Thane’s question. “A few closed down when JojaMart built their store decades ago, they just couldn’t compete with them. Then more closed down steadily over the years. Soon after the ‘accidental’ explosion which blocked both the mine and the spa, the last of the businesses closed.

“No one could get to the mine or quarry for the ores and gems so the Gem Mining and Gift Store, which brought in a ton of family business for both the shop and the remaining hotel, shut down.

“With the railroad not operating, only the locals and a few from Zuzu City that drove attended the market.”

Thane and Shepard looked at each other and Robin got the feeling they knew more than they would tell.

“Yeah, we thought it would be something along those lines,” Shepard said as she opened the door into the spa. A small waterfall separated the male and female doors. Potted plants and miniature trees sat in the corners on top of the highly polished teak wood flooring. Shepard gave a low whistle and moved aside as Abigail and Penny passed her.

“This is amazing,” she said and Robin laughed.

“This is just the entrance, wait until you see the rest of it. I had a lot of work to do here. There were broken tiles and graffiti everywhere, the lockers were damaged… hell, I pretty much rebuilt the spa. In the year this place was closed, people who hopped trains must have used the spa. It was filthy, moldy, and broken. The area was a disgrace. I had to rip everything out and have supplies sent in then redo everything from the lining of the actual spa to replacement of the roofing tiles.”

“If the rest of the spa is as visually impressive as the entrance then you did an absolutely amazing job,” Thane said as he inserted some paper Gs into the dispenser and purchased two pairs of shower shoes, and two small guest soaps. He handed the pink shoes and one soap to Shepard before kissing her cheek and following Demetrius and Sebastian through the male’s door.

Shepard groaned in sheer ecstasy as the warm water flowed over her. Robin started laughing and Shepard grinned.

“You do not understand how long it’s been since I’ve had a shower. Washing with a bucket of warm water and a sliver of soap is nothing compared to this.”

Robin smiled.

After their shower, each one dressed in their swimsuits, and Robin showed her the mediation area. Another small waterfall was centered along a wall with a thick mat of grass growing in the room. Several trees grew in pots along the sides and the corners. Different colored mats were spread out and a few low stools were in the room. Shepard could hear soft music being piped into the room.

“If the male’s side has something like this, I may never see Thane again. He’d live in here.”

Maru laughed as she joined them. “The male’s side has one which is a bit larger as it also has a weightlifting area. You can buy small bottles of water or milk from the dispenser over there. I wish they had juices too, but no one produces bottles of it which will fit the unit and we didn’t want to put Joja Cola in there. That stuff is just gross.”

Shepard hummed as they walked toward the door into the spa, “Thane and I are hoping we can soon produce more stuff. I’ll talk with him about it, and when we get ready to make things we can check into it.”

Shepard gasped as she walked into the spa portion of the room. A heavy mist hung in the air and she was doubly grateful to the Wizard for ensuring Thane could handle the humidity. The bath itself was in the center of the room, surrounded by teak flooring and tightly fitted cobblestones. Several large boulders and shrubs dotted the room as did more low stools, some of which were already occupied.

Maru and Robin went down the short flight of steps into the mineral water as Shepard continued to look around.

* * *

Sebastian looked up as he heard a low whistle coming from Sam.

“By Yoba would you look at her,” Sam breathed and nodded toward a woman who bent slightly to look at a shrub.

Sebastian squinted to see who it was, then hissed. “Dude, that’s Shepard. Stop staring at her.”

“Nah, you’re blind, man. There’s no way it’s Shepard. She’s kinda old, and that woman is prime. Just look at her tight ass.”

“I’m glad you think my wife’s ass is nice to look at. Just do not think about trying to touch it,” Thane’s voice came from behind the two younger men, causing them both to jump a foot in the air.

“Yoba, man. How the hell did you sneak up behind us on this squeaky floor?”

“I have many skills. Most of which you never want to find out about or be on the receiving end of.”

Sebastian ruffled his hair and slunk past a still shaking Sam as he headed for the bath.

Thane raised an eyebrow at Sam as he watched the blonde youth take several steps back from him and hurry to join Sebastian. Thane chuckled and headed for Shepard.

* * *

“Holy Yoba, Mom. Is that Thane?” Maru whispered as a dark-haired man walked past them.

Robin glanced at the heavily muscled and well-defined man. Her eyes skidded away before they could follow the line of tightly muscled abs past his waist. “Yep. Best close your mouth and pretend you didn’t notice him. I don’t think Shepard is the sort of woman who would appreciate another person so blatantly staring at her husband’s body. A quick glance, a nod of appreciation, sure. But drooling while staring… um, no.”

“They make one heck of a pair though. Shepard is beautiful and so well toned. They both must have been in great shape even before starting to work the farm.”

Robin nodded, “I think Shepard was, but she told me Thane was quite ill for most of his life. If you ever watch Sebby when he’s around them you won’t ever see him smoking. Thane’s lungs were bad, and he’s only regained his health.”

Maru nodded, “It makes more sense about why he’s constantly coming in to see Doctor Harvey and why Harvey doesn’t charge him when he keeps telling Thane he’s fine. I thought he was a hypochondriac.”

Robin shook her head and grinned when Thane bent to kiss Shepard before whispering something in her ear.

Shepard started laughing. She looked past him and waved to Sam, who slipped beneath the water.

* * *

Shepard was changing clothes when Robin and Maru stopped next to her. “We’re heading to the Luau now, would you and Thane like a ride there instead of getting all sweaty after your bath?”

“That would be great. I’ll let him know and we’ll meet you at your place.”

Robin told her it was fine as they needed to drop off their bathing supplies.

Ten minutes later Shepard, Thane, and Sebastian climbed in the back of a pickup truck and headed for the beach’s parking lot.


	24. Summer Luau

* * *

People crowded the beach. Long tables full of food and iced drinks were surrounding a humongous pot Marnie stirred.

A sizeable area with green leaves layered over the sand had people dancing around on it. Emily wasn’t paying attention to anyone, but doing some weird dance to music only she could hear since her movements were not in rhythm with the beat of the music.

Shepard and Thane approached Marnie after stopping at the table to get a couple of bottles of apple juice.

“Howdy. If you’ve brought anything to add to the pot, just step on up and toss it in there.”

“We just throw it in?”

Marnie nodded. “Yep, if it’s edible then just toss it in.”

“Okay, here it goes,” Shepard said. She reached into her pack and brought out the long, super sea cucumber and threw it into the pot.

“Well, it’s been years since someone threw one of those in there,” Marnie said and stirred the pot. Robin and Maru came up to the pot next. Robin tossed in a huge pumpkin, and Maru dropped an ear of corn into it.

“Well, this year’s soup will be rather interesting,” Marnie said under her breath.

Sebastian threw a radish toward the pot and almost missed. If it hadn’t been for Thane’s quick reflexes, it would have hit Marnie in the head. Instead, Thane snatched it just before it hit her and dropped it into the pot. He turned toward the boy with a frown on his face, and Sebastian turned as red as the radish.

“Sorry, Marnie. I didn’t realize I tossed it so hard.”

Marnie stirred the pot and nodded at him, but her lips were turned down into a frown.

Sam moved toward the pot and eased his hand forward, only to freeze when Marnie cleared her throat.

“What you got there, Sam?”

“Not an anchovy. I swear, Marnie.”

“Uh, huh.”

Sam sighed and opened his hand. It wasn’t an anchovy, but a sardine. Marnie grimaced and nodded. Sam dropped it into the pot and hurried off.

Shepard chuckled, and they wandered off to talk to everyone.

As she stood talking to Marlon, a movement in the woods caught her eye. She looked closer and saw Linus watching the Luau from behind one of the thick shrubs.

“You don’t have to hide behind a shrub, Linus. Come on out and join us,” she said to the older man.

He shrank back into the woods but wasn’t fast enough because the next thing he knew Shepard had him by the shoulder and urging him toward the beach.

Several people turned toward them and whispered to each other as they wondered who the man was.

When they made it to the soup pot, Shepard turned toward the crowd gathering and said, “Everyone. This is our friend, Linus. He lives nearby and I hope you don’t mind if he joins us.”

Lewis tugged on the brim of his cap before he said, “Not at all, not at all. Welcome, Linus. This is our Summer Luau. Enjoy the food and drinks. I hope you stay awhile and join us in the soup tasting. The island hog should be done soon as well. Have fun and we hope to see you at our other festivals, too.”

Linus nodded and quietly thanked Lewis.

Thane rooted around in his pack and brought out a large hot pepper. He handed it to Linus with a smile. “Here you go, something for the community soup pot.”

Linus dropped the pepper into the pot, and Marnie smiled at him. “It’ll be a while before the soup is ready, but Gus has some mighty fine food laid out for everyone.”

Shepard moved over to where Pam was manning the spit with a large hog on it. One side seemed a bit burnt and the other barely cooked. Pam lifted a mug of ale to her lips and drank instead of turning the pig.

Linus cleared his throat. “Why don’t I do this for you, Ma’am, so you can go enjoy the festival. I don’t know anyone other than Shepard and Thane, but everyone’s been welcoming to me. I can repay their kindness by doing a minor part for the festival.”

Pam shrugged and staggered over to the drink table, calling for Gus to fill her mug up.

Linus took hold of the long handle of the spit and rotated it. “See, it’s not cooking evenly? The secret is to keep the spit moving at a slow, constant speed. Once I get the rest of it cooked more, it’ll look better.”

Shepard patted Linus on the shoulder before moving away.

* * *

“Gather round everyone, it’s time for the annual Summer Luau soup tasting. The Governor for this area of the Ferngill Republic will do us the honor of having the first taste of this year’s soup,” Lewis said, and several of the villagers clapped as a rotund man wearing a lurid purple suit and hat stepped forward.

Shepard blinked at the sight and clapped along with the others.

“Yes, thank you all for the warm welcome to another Summer Luau. It’s always a pleasure coming here to join in your celebration,” he said. Then he wiggled his upper lip, which sent his mustache moving from side to side as Mayor Lewis handed him a long-handled spoon.

The rest of the village seemed to hold their collective breath as he dipped the spoon into the enormous pot. After letting it cool slightly, the Governor took a sip and paused for a moment.

“Oh, my… this is the best soup I’ve ever tasted,” he said and took several more spoonfuls from the bowl handed to him by the Mayor.

Lewis dipped out a bowl for himself, and he tasted it as well. “It’s wonderful. Everyone come grab a bowl and dig in.”

Shepard and Thane looked at each other before picking up a bowl. With all the weird things thrown into the pot, they couldn’t believe anyone would enjoy eating it.

They were wrong. After the last spoonful, they went back for second helpings.

* * *

Everyone enjoyed themselves, and by the time it came to clean up; all the soup, the perfectly cooked hog, and the food Gus brought had been devoured. Everyone stayed to help Gus pick up the trash and break down the tables. Thane and Pierre picked up one of the large wooden statues and carried it out to the bed of the Mayor’s pickup truck and placed it inside as Shepard and Linus took apart the spit and cleaned it.

“I’m glad you stuck around Linus. You should come by more often, at least come see us at the farm.”

Linus shrugged, “You’ve both been so kind to me. Providing extra food and even stocking several armloads of wood for my fire. I didn’t want to impose on you even further.”

“It’s not an imposition. We actually don’t get visitors all that often and having someone to talk to would be nice.”

Linus looked over at her and gave a shy nod before they finished putting the spit away.

* * *

Thane knocked on the Mayor’s door the next morning. Lewis invited him inside and unlocked the town’s safe after Thane told him he wanted to make a mortgage payment and sign up for a Fall Market stall.

After the Mayor wrote out a receipt and closed the farm’s ledger he pulled out a different book and opened it. Lewis began thumbing through it until he reached the page with the festival name and year on it.

“Alright,” he said and turned on the laptop sitting on his desk. “The stall license is good for the one season only. It’s not very expensive, but the purchase of it helps the town and lets me keep track of who will sell, where they will set up, and what products they’ll offer. Reduces confusion and bickering, you see. No one yelling that you took “their” spot and so forth.”

Lewis pulled up a grid of the town square with several names already in place. “Now, what will you be selling at your stall, Thane?”

“Pickles, jelly, flowers, honey, and cotton cloth this year. At least as far as we can tell. I doubt we can add any additional items to the list within the next two weeks.”

“My, you certainly are making a go of the farm. I knew I chose the right people for it,” Lewis said as he marked it all down in his book. “Let’s give you the space between Gus and Pierre. Gus always sells a variety of cooked food, drinks, and a few recipes. Pierre, of course, usually has a large assortment of seasonal vegetables and seeds. If you do have a few other things to sell just send me a message the night before the festival and I’ll make a note of it.

“We hold the Market on the fourth of Fall and it begins sharply at nine in the morning. So you must have your stall set up and stocked by then. It lasts until 10 PM, so you will probably want to switch off with Shepard now and again.

“We normally don’t have any trouble with theft and the like since we are a small community and people who attend the festival pretty much know each other. But if there is a problem, contact Marlon.

“We hold the festival rain or shine, and it can be a bit on the cool side, temperature-wise. You may want to bring a sweater or light jacket.

“You must go see Robin for your stall purchase and learn how to set it up before the day of the festival. You can either store your purchased stall at the farm or pay an additional fee for storage of it in the shed behind Clint’s shop. Several of the other market sellers store their stalls there, like Marnie, because it’s too far for them to haul it back and forth.”

Lewis finished writing everything down and clicked on the square between Gus and Pierre’s shop and typed in S. Gardens.

“The stall license is 100Gs, and an additional 30Gs if you want the storage option.”

“We would use the pack to transport it. So without the storage option,” Thane said.

Lewis shook his head. “The packs and chests we use here in the valley won’t accept the stalls. We’ve tried every year. Robin and Rasmodius think it has something to do with the outside materials. The awning, paints, and lacquer which is used to make them won’t hold the magic. We even tried getting the manufacture who makes the packs to sell us the fabric in huge quantities, but they declined our request.”

Thane hummed as he reached for the paper bag. “Then we shall take the storage option as we have no vehicle to move the stall with,” Thane said and counted out the paper money.

Lewis handed him a receipt after putting the Gs in a lockbox. “All set, just show your receipt to Robin and she’ll take the stall to the shed. I can’t wait to see the improvements you’ve made to the old place over this season. When I come out to drop off your shipping earnings and mail, it’s always so dark that I can’t really see anything. You might want to ask Robin if she’s got any permanent lighting fixtures to put up out there. This winter you won’t be able to see a foot in front of you unless the moon is full.”

“I’ll ask her about it. Thank you, Mayor Lewis,” Thane said as he shook the Mayor’s hand.

* * *

Robin looked up from a magazine she read when the bell above the shop door sounded.

“Hey, Thane. What can I help you with?”

Thane laid the stall receipt on the counter. “I would like to purchase a market stall, please.”

“Great. All the stalls are identical except for the awning color. What slot did Lewis assign you?” she asked as she opened a program on her laptop.

“Between Gus and Pierre.”

Robin hummed as she studied the layout of the stalls from the year before. “Gus has the green awning and Pierre has a blue one, so you don’t want either of those colors. Here is the color chart. Let me know which one you want.”

Thane looked at all the colors on the sheet before placing his finger on one. “This one. The violet and cream striped one.”

Robin typed something on the computer before jotting a note down on a pad next to her. “Well, no one else will have a stall with the same color scheme. I’ll place the order for the awning today and it should be here by the end of next week. I’ll call you when it arrives and I’ve got your stall ready. I’ll show you how to set it up and take it down. Once you’re sure you know how to do it, I’ll take it to the shed until the morning of the market.

“Sam and Abigail run a pretty brisk business of moving the stalls to the town center. They charge 20Gs per stall and includes taking it back to the shed after you’ve got it taken down. You should get there early before the others so you have enough time for the first-time setup.”

Thane nodded and withdrew the 250Gs Robin wanted for the stall. “Is there anything else?”

“The Mayor suggested I ask if you had any outdoor lighting options available.”

“No. I do have several blueprints so you can make your own, though,” she said and pulled out a large binder from under the counter. She flipped through it before turning it around for him to look at.

“Anything marked brazier or lamp post is for outside. Let me know if you see anything.”

“I’ll take one of the wooden brazier blueprints, please,” he said.

Robin nodded and scrolled to the item on her computer and clicked “print”. She handed him the blueprint and receipt.

“So how did you and Shepard like the festival yesterday? It’s quite the party,” she asked as he tucked the papers into his pack.

“It was very enjoyable. We rarely got time to enjoy ourselves and relax before coming here. We find it a delight to gather with everyone to just socialize.”

“Wait until this winter when the Feast of Winter Star happens. It’s one of the best ones we have. It’s a time when we get together as one extended family to celebrate the end of one year and the start of a brand new one. There are several small gatherings before then though.”

“It sounds like it will be well worth the wait. Thank you for your assistance. We shall see you in a few days to purchase the upgrades for the farm. Shepard is waiting for me outside of Marnie’s Ranch.”

Robin smiled at him, “Thinking of expanding out into ranching as well? When you have time to stop by, I’ll show you the pricing sheet for the silo to store hay and animal feed along with the building costs for the shelters. Have a great day, Thane.”

Thane tipped his head to her and wished her a pleasant day before leaving.

* * *

  
  


Thane heard an axe cutting into a tree as he passed Leah’s house. He followed the sound and saw Shepard swinging the axe again and the stump breaking into small pieces.

“I’ve taken care of everything, Shepard. Marnie is probably wondering where we are.”

Shepard nodded, and they gathered up the twenty pieces of wood left from felling the tree. “I have to say, chopping down the trees is much quicker now. I wonder if the next upgrade would shave off even more time.”

Thane shrugged. “I would assume so. Same as the copper pickaxe can now break apart the mine rocks with fewer attempts. We should ask Clint what we would need to use to break apart the enormous boulders on the farm and work toward getting those cleared away over the winter.”

After putting her pack back on, they headed to Marnie’s.

She met them at the door with a grin on her face and a warm welcome.

“Welcome. Thane said you wanted to inspect the animals and get some more information on the raising and care of them?”

Shepard smiled and nodded, “Yes. Neither one of us ever owned animals of this type, although I had a hamster once and a few fish.”

Thane cleared his throat, “Let’s not discuss the fish, Siha.”

“Hey, I did pretty well with the hamster, though.”

“Yes, but you ended up having to pay Kelly to feed your fish because you kept forgetting.”

Shepard frowned, “Let’s not discuss Kelly Chambers… Sere Krios.”

His eyebrow rose, and he smirked. “It is not my fault she slipped into my quarters that evening and found us in a rather… interesting position.”

“She shouldn’t have had access to your quarters at all.”

Marnie cleared her throat. They turned to see her red-faced and rocking on her heels.

“So about the animals… did you read the book I gave you earlier?” Marnie muttered to them.

“Yes, of course. But I need more details and to see exactly how to care for them properly,” Thane said.

“Well, let’s start with the chickens, they are one of the easiest beginner farm animals to take care of. I sell white, brown, and a special bred brown and orange chicken. All hens and they all come from good egg-laying stock.”

Marnie showed them into a small building that was filled with many animals. “This is a coop designed and built by Robin exclusively for our ranch. You would naturally start out with a much smaller version. It is suitable for chickens only and will give you a taste of animal husbandry to see if expanding into ranching is right for you.”

The penned off area she led them to contained several fluffy yellow and white birds barely larger than Shepard’s palm. “These are baby chicks. They need to be fed one serving of feed inside their coop if the weather is bad or left outside in a safe, fenced-in area when the weather is sunny to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. As long as there is grass inside their fenced area, they’ll eat it.

“In the evening you must make absolutely sure they are inside the coop and the doors are firmly closed. The buildings Robin constructs have auto watering capabilities built-in, whether you are using the town water supply or well water. The quickest way for the chicks to come to trust you is to hold them carefully and talk to them right before you feed them or let them outside.

“In the winter you’ll need a heater in the coop to keep them warm and happy. If you don’t have one they’ll stop laying eggs and can become sick and die.

“Even if all you decide to raise is a small coop of chickens, you should seriously think about getting a silo built too. It’ll store all the hay you gather and dry. It’s very important to have a large supply of hay, because during the wintertime you don’t want them to go outside, even on a sunny day. It’s just too cold, so you must feed them every day, which can really deplete your stocks.

“Of course with your own coop, the animals will be free to use the entire space. Here I have to keep them in separate pens for ease in selling.

“Do you understand everything so far?”

Thane nodded. “Would it be alright to hold one of the small ones?”

Marnie nodded and opened the gate to the pen. Thane smiled as all the small chicks headed right for her, making peeping sounds. She picked up a small white one and moved toward the fence.

“Hold out your hand and cup your palm. When I place her in your hand, cup your other hand over her body so she can’t accidentally fall.”

Thane held the peeping creature in his palm for a moment, getting the feel of her in his hand locked into his memory before gently giving her to Shepard.

“Wow. She’s so soft.”

Marnie nodded. “Very soft and fragile. They grow quickly though,” she said as Shepard handed the small bird back.

Marnie showed them the ducks next and explained they were cared for in the same way. But unlike the chickens who would lay eggs daily once they became adults and were fed and happy, a duck would lay eggs every other day. There was also a chance they would drop a feather, which made a very nice writing pen and would sell for quite a lot of Gs.

The last stall had small black and white rabbits inside. “You take care of these the same way as the chickens and ducks. I sell both male and female rabbits since you’ll need one of each if you want to breed them. The chickens and the ducks hatch out from incubated eggs.

“These rabbits produce very nice wool to sell or spin into wool cloth. Are you ready to go to the larger barn?”

Thane looked at each of the animals once more, then nodded.

Marnie took them to the barn and explained the care of cows, sheep, goats, and pigs and the products each of them gave.

“So the wool from the rabbits is the same as the ones from the sheep? I mean, the sheep are a heck of a lot bigger,” Shepard said.

Marnie shook her head. “It works the same. Wool is wool. You’ll also need shears to remove the wool from sheep where the rabbits shed it automatically, but you won’t always get wool from rabbits. Whereas, sheep you shear once their coat grows in and they’re happy. So you have to take all of that into consideration along with deciding if you want to take care of both large and small animals. It can be a very time-consuming process. The first thing you should think about is whether you want food items just for yourselves or if you want to sell in quantity. How much time will you have to devote to the care of animals and running your farm along with the other day-to-day activities? Questions of that nature, then talk together to see what you want to do.”

They thanked her as they left the barn with their heads filled with the basics of ranching.


	25. Rum Running… Without the Rum. Why’s the Rum Gone?

* * *

Thane busily harvested his crop of tea leaves as Shepard went to gather the previous day’s earnings and check the mailbox.

“We got a letter from Pam.”

Thane glanced up at Shepard when he heard the envelope opening. Shepard snorted.

“You will not believe this. She said she heard we were thinking of making our own wine. She’s asking us to bring her a pale ale because she’s got a hankering for a fresh one. She’s offering to pay us 350Gs for it.”

Thane hummed and went back to picking the ready tea leaves. “She shall wait quite a while then, as we do not have a keg to brew it in.”

Shepard tucked the letter into her pack and helped to gather the blueberries from the next row of plants. “We will need more preserve jars. I checked the chest earlier. We still have almost 200 salmonberries left from spring, not to mention the hot peppers, and these blueberries.”

“And the tomatoes and now the corn is ready so a portion of them as well will go into the jars. I know, Siha. I was planning on making several more since we have enough wood to cover the housing upgrade and two more jars systems. I’ll cut any trees on the way there which are ready, maybe by the end of the day we’ll have another set for both the pickles and jelly.”

“Since you’re heading up there, would you mind dropping off the blueberry? It’s the last thing we need to finish the summer crops box, and it’s been bugging me wondering what they’ll give us this time.”

Thane chuckled and nodded as he finished his last tea plant then sighed as he headed for the finally ready to harvest row of corn.

After they finished the harvesting, Thane grabbed two jars of honey from the box and three jars of the pickles before heading toward town. Shepard checked to make sure her pack had plenty of room in it before heading to the Cindersap forest hoping to find more spice berries and grape clusters.

* * *

Thane paused as a red Junimo popped up in front of him and began bouncing in a circle.

“Greetings,” Thane said as he watched the Junimo bounce a few more times before sitting on the ground and patting the soil. “Ah, is there something buried there?” The Junimo began bouncing again, and Thane removed the hoe from his pack. After digging in the spot the Junimo indicated, he crouched down and brushed aside more dirt, revealing something bound in cloth. He removed the cloth and saw it was a book. He grinned and tucked it into his pack.

Thane jogged up the stairs toward the fountain and community center, nodding at Demetrius as he passed him. After slipping through the door of the center, Thane moved down the hallway toward the room marked Pantry in the small journal, and opened the lid on the yellow box. Inside was the melon, tomato, and hot pepper they put in previously. He added the blueberry to the box and put the lid back on.

As he removed the lid from the orange box to place an ear of corn inside, he heard the normal sproing sound indicating a Junimo was nearby. He saw the green Junimo carrying the yellow box out of the room and replaced the lid he still held. Before going into the main room, he stopped at the first room and placed the 99 stones in the box.

He met the purple Junimo as it came out of the hut in the corner and took the small box and opened it.

“Ah. Siha will like this gift. Our thanks to you,” he said and put the lid back on the box and slipped it into his pack.

Thane returned Haley’s greeting as she snapped a few pictures with her ever-present camera. Since he had no reason to keep his face out of public view in this reality, he didn’t turn away when she asked for a picture for the town’s news site and blog. He answered a few of her questions about how they liked living in the valley, how hard was it to turn a farm so long abandoned into a living farm, and if they would have a market stall this year.

He stopped to chat with Evelyn as she attended to the summer flowers in bloom in enormous beds along the town square before heading to the beach to gather items.

An hour later he entered the library and museum. He approached Gunther where he stood behind the lending counter.

“Good afternoon, Thane. What can I help you with today?”

“Shepard and I found several items and were wondering if you’d like them for the museum. I also found a book. It has the library’s identification on the inside cover and thought it may be one you are missing.”

“Really? Let me see it, please.”

Thane laid the blue-covered book on the counter and as Gunther checked it over he also emptied several items they dug up or found in the mine.

“Yes. Yes, this is one of the lost books. How wonderful to have it returned to us. Let me see what else you’ve brought.”

Thane waited while Gunther looked over everything and grew excited at several of the finds. “Delightful. More minerals and artifacts for our museum. Give me a moment to put these into place and I’ll be right back.”

When Gunther returned he was carrying a small box with him. “These are for you and Shepard, as a thank you from the townspeople. It’s not much, but if you continue to find more artifacts, minerals, and books, I’ll reward you for them.”

Thane tucked the box into his pack without opening it. “Thank you, Gunther. We will certainly continue to keep an eye out for more. Have a wonderful day.”

On the way to the carpenter’s shop, Thane cleared out several more trees and tucked their dropped seeds into his pack.

“Hey Dude, back again?”

Thane turned toward Sebastian after he loaded a chunk of wood into the saw. “Indeed. We are preparing for the upcoming Market festival and need a few more machines built to handle the produce we are harvesting.”

Thane turned back to add more wood into the saw machine when Sebastian spoke again. “Sorry for what Sam said at the bath, Thane. He can be a total ass sometimes.”

Thane snorted. “I took no actual offense. My Siha garnered the same reaction from others where we lived before. Although, no one had the audacity to voice it while I was within hearing range. I shall give him credit for his bravery, even if he didn’t realize I stood behind him at the time.”

“I’ve heard you call her that before, Siha… is that like a nickname or something?”

Thane straightened and turned to him. “Not in the same sense as when your mother calls you Sebby. In my native language, Siha is more of a title of reverence. I was lost, alone, feared, asleep… for so long, until she came into my life and woke me. She gave me a reason for living. A reason to continue. She brought light into my life; into my soul. Helped me to reconnect with my son and gave him a future. For which I named her a Siha.”

Sebastian stared at him for a few minutes before he leaned against the side of the door. “No offense, Dude, but what did a woman like her see in you?”

Thane blinked, then started laughing. “That my young friend is something I am still trying to figure out. But I thank the gods every day for whatever it was she saw in me then and continues to do so.”

Thane continued to slide more chunks of wood into the saw until he had enough planks to make the machines. With Sebastian’s help, he was able to have four more preserve jars finished and one keg by the time Shepard’s call came in letting him know she was on the way home.

* * *

  
  


After dinner, they put the jar systems into place and added produce to them. Shepard followed Thane to the other side of the house and watched as he opened his pack again and drew out a small round object.

“What’s that?”

“I had just enough extra wood and an iron bar to make one keg. According to the notes jotted down in Hollander’s book, the melons, hops, and wheat from this season are perfect for making drinks in the keg. Since Pam wanted a pale ale and we have several bundles of wheat left over from filling the Junimo box, and a small stock of hops, why don’t we make some? Wheat grows incredibly fast and we might be able to have a decent supply built up before the festival to sell, and we get three hops every day from the plants. That is if it’s worth selling. It may not turn out right and we keep it for ourselves… well yourself. I didn’t particularly care for the one glass of beer I had. But perhaps wine is more to my liking. We shall see.”

He knelt down and positioned the tiny keg facing away from the house and let go of it. It quickly grew to its full size. A large, dark-wood barrel sat on a sturdy holder. A small door was at the top and a gold-colored tap was inserted in the front. Just below the tap was a conveyor belt with a box on it.

“You wouldn’t happen to have any bottles, would you?” Shepard asked as she went to dig through the chest with their surplus food supplies in it. When she came back she saw several brown drink bottles, all lined up in neat rows in the box.

“Alright, here we go,” she said as she opened the small door and dropped the bundle of hops into the top. The machine sat silent for a few seconds before Shepard noticed small bubbles rise out of the top.

“Uh… Thane. It’s not going to explode, is it?” she said as the barrel began expanding and contracting while emitting more bubbles.

“I certainly do not want it to,” he said, and they took several steps back. “Hollander said the machine will take less than two days to brew and bottle the alcohol.”

“Not bad. We’ll get another 42 hops total until the end of the season. We’ll have some to sell at the festival and the rest to ship out. Any idea on how much per bottle we’ll make?” Shepard asked.

“Gus’ menu has beer listed at 200Gs per bottle, while the pale ale was listed at 300. It is quite the profit, even with deducting the cost of supplies.”

“I’ll say. Wheat seeds only cost us 10Gs. We can stockpile it through the rest of summer and all of fall. It should be enough to keep the keg going if we run out of hops. We have just enough time to plant more melon seeds this season to get another good haul and make wine from it. Not to mention any crops from the fall. I don’t think the keg will stall in production anytime soon.”

Thane hummed. “Pierre will let us know when the wine bottles I ordered arrive. Since no one here brews their own alcohol, he had to place an order. It was only because he remembered the case of bottles in his attic from when Hollander was alive that we even have these. Thankfully, the sterilizer works quickly.”

They gave startled jumps when the keg expanded much larger than it had before and the door on top of the machine lifted slightly as a load of bubbles came out followed by a noise which sounded suspiciously like a burp.

“Well. Glad you didn’t want to put that machine inside our shack. Neither of us would have gotten any sleep.”

Thane nodded and was just as glad as she was. “Come, Shepard. There is more. The gift from the Junimos and Gunther gave us a box with a reward inside for returning a book and donating the items we found.”

They settled on the top porch step and Thane withdrew both boxes from his pack. He handed the one from the Junimos to her and grinned when she ripped off the lid and tossed it to the side. Her hand delved into the box and withdrew a small metal device with four prongs. “What the hell is this?”

“That is a quality sprinkler. It will cover a larger area than the simple sprinkler I planned on making when we had enough spare copper and iron bars.”

“Nice. So this will cut down our watering workload. How big of an area does it cover?”

“The eight adjacent tiles. So it would be similar to the 3x3 grid we originally had the plots in. Only the center would have the sprinkler in it instead of another crop.”

Shepard deflated a bit, “That’s it?”

Thane shrugged, and Shepard put the sprinkler back in the box. “When Robin gets us hooked into the town’s water, it will come in handy either way. What’s in your box?”

Thane lifted the lid and tipped the box toward the light of the torch. “Packets. Seed packets from the look of them,” he said and reached in to remove them. “Hmm, there are some cauliflower seeds for next spring, and melon seeds we can plant now.”

Shepard grinned and stood up, “Might as well get the plots made. We can put down the sprinkler as well, so it’s ready. Free seeds are always good, especially when they can make us a ton of credits.”

“Gs.”

Shepard sighed, “Whatever.”

* * *

  
  


“Today will be another scorcher. Try to spend time inside where it’s cool and don’t forget to stay hydrated. Tomorrow’s outlook shows a severe storm coming this way. Be careful if you venture outside.

“The end of the season is fast approaching and with it comes another festival. The Dance of the Moonlight Jellies is a special night. Each year we are visited by a rare sight. The Moonlight Jellies are a bio-luminescent species of jellyfish who come to the surface near the docks for one night each year as they pass Pelican Town on their migratory journey. Over the past few years, we have noted a drastic decrease in the jelly population. We are hoping this year will be different. Keep your eyes open for an incredibly rare green jelly. No one has spotted one in over thirty years. Maybe this is the year we see it.”

Shepard turned off the radio before the fortune teller could let her know how bad today’s forecast would be. She knew it would be bad, because she already broke a shoelace, dropped her last granola bar on the floor, and somehow misplaced a sock between the outdoor clothesline and indoor clothes basket.

“Maybe I should just stay inside the rest of the day,” she said as Thane gathered up the Gs, and made sure they had enough supplies for the home upgrades.

Thane shook his head. “With the way things are going, the shack is liable to fall down on you.”

“Haha, hilarious. I guess I can’t get into too much trouble with fishing while you hit the mine.”

Thane tucked a few blueberries and a roasted ear of corn into a bag before he opened the front door. He stopped short because Demetrius stood just outside.

“Good morning, Demetrius. How may we help you?”

“Actually, if you have a few minutes, I have a proposal to make you. It will benefit both of us.”

“Sure, we have some time,” Shepard said as she pulled the door shut and followed Demetrius off the porch.

“I’ve been studying various soil conditions of the valley and would like to use the cave on your property as a controlled area for researching specimens. I’ve studied both fungus specimens and a species of fruit bat. I could build suitable environments inside the cave for either specimen, but since it’s your cave, I thought you should be the ones to decide. For the mushrooms, I will build six boxes designed to propagate the native species of fungus. Red and purple mushrooms, the common mushroom, a rare morel mushroom, and a chanterelle mushroom. You’ll be able to harvest and keep the mushrooms that grow in the boxes. All I need is to observe and note any changes and the rate of growth.

“For the fruit option, I can make the cave more habitable for the bats. They are known to drop various pieces of fruit as they enter a cave. They could bring in any local variety of tree fruit or wild growing fruit or berry and leave inside the cave.”

“Sounds like either would be something we would be interested in, give us a moment to discuss it,” Thane said. They moved to the side while Demetrius went into the cave to look around again.

“The Junimos asked for fruits and mushrooms, so either would be of substantial help. Mostly the mushrooms are edible, as are all the fruits. Plus, we could use the fruits in the machines,” Thane said.

“Yeah… but we get them from harvesting the bushes and later on can add the fruit trees ourselves. Those damn mushrooms are in the caves and I haven’t seen a single one yet. If he can get those growing, then we can fill in the boxes and eat or sell the rest, and add fruit trees later on.”

“Yes. I can see how they may be better in the long term. Shall we go with the mushroom boxes then?”

Shepard nodded, and they went inside the cave to tell Demetrius their decision.

* * *

  
  


Shepard flipped through the furniture catalog on Robin’s counter as Thane discussed the upgrades to the shack. While they discussed the color of the flooring and cabinets for the kitchen, she noted the pages numbers of the furniture she liked.

After another hour or so, they ended up with dark-wood cabinets, white tiled floors, stainless steel appliances, and a wood-burning stove instead of the open fireplace in the kitchen. Their bathroom would be done in a cream and blue while the bedroom was in a mix of light and dark greens with a black walnut colored floor.

They picked out a dark rose, and cream-colored bedroom set with a walnut-stained bed frame and dresser Robin would deliver when the upgrade was complete. They’d come back for the dining and living room sets once they earned some more money.

“Perfect. I’ll have everything ready to go first thing in the morning. I’ll be by after the shop closes to mark the building site. Make sure you clear everything out of the area tonight so I can start work as soon as I get there in the morning,” Robin said as she handed them the receipt. “The upgrades will take about a week to complete. The storm coming in tomorrow will be bad, so I’ll secure the area against the weather tonight.”

* * *

  
  


Shepard sat on the small rickety bridge with her feet dangling in the water as she fished in the lake outside the mine. She looked up when she heard someone calling her name.

“Linus? How are you today?”

Linus smiled shyly and told her he was doing well.

“Are you leaving?” She asked when she noticed he had his tent and belongings propped up against a tree he leaned on.

“No,” he said as he shook his head. “At the luau, Mrs. Cline approached me and asked me where I was living. She wouldn’t take vague replies for answers and told me there was a suitable spot above her house where the ground was flat and had some protection against the worst of the weather. She also said it was very close to the bathhouse entrance, and since I was a resident, I could use it whenever I wanted. I just have to follow the same rules the rest of the guests and residents do.

“I’ve spent days thinking it over and decided it wouldn’t be so bad being closer to the town. I’m still far enough away to not be bothered or be a bother to anyone. There’s plenty of downed branches to keep my fire going and fresh water to drink.”

Shepard smiled. “That’s marvelous news. We’ll be able to visit you more often and the path right above Robin’s house leads to our farm, so we’re practically neighbors.”

They chatted a while longer before Linus picked up his yellow tent and box of possessions and headed up the hill toward the bathhouse.

* * *

  
  


Thane exited the mines looking worse for wear and Shepard rushed to find out what happened.

“The monsters mostly were the same as the previous frozen levels. Except for a very slow-moving apparition, which I misjudged. I mistimed my swing. The spirit’s touch was colder than the frozen area of the mine. It was a learning experience, but now I know the pattern; one of their kind will not get the better of me again. We did however get quite a lot of coal, iron ore, frozen geodes, and several items that look like miniature sun symbols. The creatures dropped a few artifacts as well. And one other thing,” he said as he reached into the pack. He pulled out a clear, sparkling gem larger than both of her fists together.

“What the hell? Is that what I think it is?”

Thane grinned. “I am no gemologist, but I believe I am holding one of the largest diamonds I have ever heard of.”

Shepard held the diamond in her hands as Thane sat to change out of the heavy fur-lined boots which protected their feet from the bitter cold of the frozen mine floor and into his normal shoes.

“We still have an hour before Pierre’s close to purchase more melon seeds and get to the museum before they close for the night. I do not want to contemplate trying to plant the melons amid a thunderstorm,” he said as he stood back up. Shepard still hadn’t taken her eyes off the giant gem.

* * *

  
  


They arrived at Pierre’s shop less than thirty minutes before he closed for the day. “What can I do for you today?”

“We would like twenty-seven melon seeds, ten lettuce seeds, nine radish seeds, and twenty wheat seeds,” Thane said as he laid a few cave carrots and winter roots on the counter; saving one of the winter roots for the Junimo box.

Pierre nodded and reached for a stack of paper bags before turning to the seed drawers.

“Have you heard from any of the other shop owners yet?” Shepard asked.

Pierre finished counting the lettuce seeds before saying, “Not yet. I’ve been in touch with a few and they’ve pretty much said the same thing. Pressure’s been heavy everywhere to sell out to Joja Corp or one of their subsidiaries.” He counted out the radish seeds and dropped them into the bag. “I had a message from someone off a family growers forum, though. He warned me I need to be more careful about where and how I ask for help. Apparently, one thing Joja likes to do is troll such forums and make it difficult for anyone asking around about buying from them instead of Joja Distribution. People’s orders for things they can’t grow seem to be out of stock suddenly, or ‘because of rising inflation we had to raise our prices to offset our additional costs’ and so forth.”

He dropped the yellow packets of wheat seeds into the bag before closing the drawer, “The farmer said he’d have to check with a few of the other locals to see what he could do and would let me know as soon as he could.”

He handed them the bags of seeds and gave them the total minus the payment for the cave items.

They excited Gunther when they laid out the few items which dropped in the cave. Thane tapped his finger on the counter and stared at Shepard. She sighed and reached into her pack, bringing out the enormous diamond.

“Exquisite,” Gunther exclaimed as he picked up the gem and held it up to the light. “I know just where this can go. A shaft of sunlight shows through a tall window and shines for the longest time during the day on one particular spot. It will showcase this beauty perfectly.”

Shepard sighed audibly as she watched Gunther rush off with the giant diamond in one hand and the rest of the new items in his other.

“I had the galaxy’s biggest diamond in my hand and now it’s gone...”

Thane chuckled. “Who knows what is further down in the mine. Maybe that diamond was one of the smaller ones. We shall just have to continue to check the mine and see.”

When Gunther returned, he handed them a single seed packet with a star symbol on it.

“This is a starfruit packet. It’s the only one in the entire town. It’s been in storage for a very, very long time apparently. When I was cleaning up the other day, I found it and asked Pierre about it. He said the last time he saw one of those seed packets was when his father ran the general store ages ago. The only one who could get them to grow was a man named Hollander. He asked where I got it, and I told him I was thinking of giving it to you as a reward for bringing me more items for the museum. He told me they took almost a half-season to grow and could only be grown in the summer unless you could acquire a greenhouse. He said they are fragile plants.”

Shepard placed the packet into the bag with the others and thanked him.

* * *

  
  


It was close to 11 PM when the last of the wheat seeds were planted, leaving only the single starfruit packet in the bag. “What do you think? Plant it and hope it grows or hold on to it for posterity?”

Thane dried his hair as he thought about Shepard’s question. “Hold on to it for now. We shall plant it next summer on the first day of the season. It is cutting it too close for the growth cycle.”

Shepard nodded and tucked the seed packet into a chest they had placed against the wall marked “Seeds”. She checked the huge tarp Robin had put up along the wall she would remove the following day and shook her head.

“I can’t believe Robin will come out here in the middle of a thunderstorm and begin building the additions. She could wait until the storm ends.”

Thane turned off the overhead light while leaving the fan running. “That’s not the way she works, Shepard. She’s like you in that way. She gets a mission and lets nothing come in the way of her doing it.”

* * *

  
  


Two days later, Thane pulled out the filled bottle of pale ale from the box and handed it to Shepard. “Well? Should we test this first or just give it to Pam and let her test it for us?”

Shepard looked at the bottle and frowned. “Something’s missing.”

Thane waited until Shepard hissed. “A label. We won’t be able to tell what’s beer or pale ale if we don’t have a label on it. How are we going to tell the difference between melon wine and say… salmonberry wine if we stick one of those in there?”

Thane frowned as well. “That is a good observation.” He closed his eyes and Shepard watched his lips move as he whispered the instructions from Hollander’s crafting book to see if there was something he missed when building it.

“Hollander’s machine had no auto-labeling system. The notes in the back stated he either tied a small card around the neck’s bottle or placed a sticker on the bottle with the name on it.”

Shepard shook her head. “That will not work if we plan on a large assortment of alcohol. Not to mention fresh juices and sodas too.”

Thane nodded. “Labeling the honey and jelly would be wise as well. As of now, it is easy to distinguish between salmonberry jelly and blueberry jelly, but should we make another flavor with the same color, it may become confusing.”

Shepard pulled out her phone from her pocket and dialed Sebastian.

“You’ve reached Corrupted Bytes, Sebastian speaking, how may I help you?”

“Sebastian, it’s Shepard. I’ve got a question for you.”

“Shoot.”

“We need product labels. Can you do them?”

“Yep. Not just product labels, best to cover all your business stuff at once. Product sheets, business labels, brand names, logos. Whatever you think you will need. Do you have a design in mind or do you want me to make one too?”

Thane spoke into the speakerphone. “We haven’t decided yet. We needed to make sure you could do them first. Now we need to sit down and make a list of what we shall need to begin with. Can you produce more if we need them or add to the list?”

“Yeah. Just let me know in advance so I can get the program set up and add the design and all. Once you’ve approved the initial design, I’ll print a business card out for you. If you like what you see, I’ll give you the total cost and transfer everything over to a thumb drive for you and back my copy up to a secure data server in case you lose your copy. Just bring the drive along with you when you need more printed out or if you want any changes made later. Once you get a computer and your own printer, I’ll set it up with the basic version of the printing software and you can make your own labels and stuff from there.”

“Thanks, Sebastian. We’ll get back in touch with you by the end of the week,” Shepard said.

She looked at Thane after hanging up with Sebastian. “So what do you think? I can’t draw anything but battle plans.”

“Do not look at me, Siha. I have no skills in that area. The Compact and private clients provided the information to me. I used my other senses to add to the intel and plan a strategy in my mind. I left no paper trails for anyone to follow.”

“Wonderful. I guess we need to think about what to ask Sebastian to make then and leave it up to him to design it.”

Thane shrugged.

They just picked the last of the hops and poppy flowers when they heard a car horn blowing. They looked up to see Pierre waving at them from the driver’s seat.

“Hey, you two. I’ve got news. Hop in so we can talk on the way back to the store.”

Shepard slid into the back seat while Thane sat up front.

“What’s going on? It’s Wednesday, the shop’s closed today,” Shepard said.

Pierre nodded as he carefully made a U-turn and drove back down the lane. “Yeah, that’s why it’s safer to discuss things there than just standing around where anyone can hear. You need to see an email I got this morning from the contact I made on the family grower forum.”

“It must be something big.”

“It is, Shepard. It might be the answer to our troubles, but it will fall mainly on you two to handle it. I’ll tell you more when we get there.”

Pierre opened the back door for them and led them to his home office area. He had a couple of chairs from the kitchen set up on either side of his computer chair and after shutting the door he told them to have a seat.

Pierre turned on his laptop and brought up the email message. “They have a small community of growers willing to help us. But it will be strange since we can’t let Morris or Joja Corp find out about it. These guys grow produce and fruit trees, which we don’t have here. They’re willing to smuggle in the seeds and saplings to us. Once we get a foothold in those various products, we are to help others in the same situation. Share our seeds, saplings from everything we have.

“Of course, it’s not for free. You must buy the stuff from them. In turn, I’ll buy it from you. Morris won’t have this stuff in his JojaMart and it should bring in customers for me, which will make it more difficult for him to run me out of business.”

“Just how do they plan on smuggling in saplings and the like? By boat? Willy will notice it for sure and might get a bit loose-lipped at the saloon.”

Pierre shook his head. “No, not by boat. Overland by a merchant. Once we agree to do it, they’ll arrive here on Fridays and set up for one day in the Cindersap forest. You must go there and buy the stuff before they leave. They said you can’t miss their setup, and when you talk to the merchant you say, ‘Fruits of our labor,’ to let them know to sell you the smuggled stock.”

Shepard scratched her head, “This is an awful lot of stuff to do just to get some seeds and trees.”

Pierre sighed. “I know. But just in the past few days, the forum and a few other places had even more posts of people shutting down or selling their farms to Joja Corp. I can’t see how I will stay afloat without providing something different to the villagers. I have a limited amount of seeds. I grow what I can to seed down and sell the produce you give me to keep you in seeds. But I don’t know how much longer I can keep the shop open with only a handful of seeds and what you can supply me with. I sold the last of the honey, jelly, and pickled tomatoes you sold me yesterday. I’m out of cooking oil, sugar, and only have a few bags of flour left. Fall is coming up, which is good at least. I have plenty of seeds for you to grow stuff and it sells great. I’ll have Caroline drive to JojaMart in Zuzu City to buy some items next week to stock our shelves with.”

“You make your own seeds?” Thane asked.

Pierre nodded. “My father’s machine. It’s not much, and I didn’t use it all that often until Joja Corp Distribution began messing with my shipments.

“I take a base vegetable I grow or you sell to me and I use the seed maker to break it down. I usually get enough to fill two or three seed packets from it. Other times it’s a bust and not only do I not get seeds from it, I get a weed or a packet of random seeds which I do not know what plant it is until it grows. Sometimes I make out better with the sale of the seeds versus the sale of the produce; usually the flowers. Other times it costs me Gs to use the machine because the seeds are cheaper than the produce or I lose the produce altogether. It’s a chance I’m willing to take but can’t afford to do it with everything which comes in. I’ll sacrifice some new produce to make seeds from what you sell to me for replanting in my garden and selling. I can’t do it for trees though. The seed machine won’t accept anything which grows on a tree. I tried to stick salmonberries in it once and all I got in return were weeds, so it doesn’t work for the wild-growing items either.”

Thane hummed and shot a glance at Shepard who signaled she understood with a movement of her finger.

“Alright. Send them a message. We’ll meet them on Friday in the forest. Let’s hope this works for everyone and Joja Corp learns we won’t give up and will fight back,” Shepard said and watched as Pierre slid his glasses up higher on his nose and began typing a reply.

* * *

  
  


Thane waited until they were near the lower bridge across the river before halting Shepard. “The crafting book we have of Hollander’s doesn’t mention a seed maker.”

“Do you think he made it just for Pierre’s family?”

Thane leaned against the bridge and thought about it. “No. If that was the case why didn’t he share the other machines with them? I’m more inclined to think Hollander gave him the machine after he became ill. We haven’t located a single machine that Hollander built while he was alive. Not until now. Where did the rest of them go? We’ve heard mention of things from the kegs, preserve jars, now a seed maker, which sounds like one of the crazy things Hollander would make.”

“You think someone took them? Joja Corp?”

Thane shook his head, “I don’t know. Let’s ask Mayor Lewis and Rasmodius. Maybe one of them knows what happened.”

* * *

  
  


They knocked on the Mayor’s door and asked him about Hollander’s old machines.

The Mayor’s thick mustache twitched. “I don’t know. Now that you mention it, when I went to check on his farm after his funeral, there were no plants growing and no machines anywhere. The buildings were also gone. Everything had grown wild on the farm except for one small patch of ground in front of the shack. He stopped selling his products a few seasons before and told me he would ship nothing, just grow what he needed. He wrote a few books while he was ill and donated them to the library. Maybe he left a clue in one of them?”

They thanked the Mayor and walked back across the bridge toward the library.

Shepard began looking at the books along the back wall of the library while Thane started on the smaller shelves surrounding the reading desks.

He glanced up when Penny, who sat at the larger desk with Jas and Vincent, said, “Alright children, that’s enough reading for today. Now it’s time for art. Here are the crayons and sheets of drawing paper. Today’s subject will be… a day of fun in the summer sun. Draw something you like to do in the summer when the sun is shining.”

He watched as both children reached for the boxes of crayons and began drawing.

“Thane,” whispered Shepard. He glanced over the top of one of the low shelves and saw her wiggling a book with a yellow cover at him.

“Not sure what this is doing here, but I found one of Hollander’s old journals. The Mayor wrote that Hollander kept them and wrote in them every day. This is one from the last season he still lived. Listen to what it says.

  
  


“_I’m nearing the end of my life. I can feel the magic of the valley pulling me. I fear when I pass that the company which has been hounding me day and night will attempt to steal my life’s work; the miraculous machines and building plans I created to help the valley and those who live here and respect the area._

“_The company, Joja Corporation, doesn’t care one whit about the valley, the people living here, or the magic. They pollute the streams, the oceans, and land with their plastic garbage and non-recyclable trash. Even the sewer system has become toxic to the environment. They built the sewage drain to dump into the ocean. Before Joja Corp moved in it was foul, but not toxic. Now it runs green and dumps just as much garbage as sewage into the ocean. It’s killing everything. Once the death of the land begins, it will mean the death of the magic. This valley will cease to exist in its present form. I am both happy that I will not live to see it and sad for when the day comes, and it is gone forever.”_

  
  


Shepard turned the page and began reading the next day’s entry,

  
  


“_The spirits visited me in my dreams last night. They whispered there is still hope. They told me one day the valley would live and thrive. They told me to destroy the machines, to make sure no one could get my plans until it was time. I woke earlier than usual and struggled to get out of bed. I trusted the spirits with my entire being, so I burned them all. Every single machine. Every one except for a seed maker which I entrusted to Edgar, the owner of the General Goods store, and a very close and dear friend to me. He promised to take care of the machine and not to let anyone outside of his family know of it. I believe him and I trust him. I will give my original crafting book to Lewis, it is my fondest hope he will recognize a suitable candidate to take over my life’s work. Rasmodius, the young and brash wizard of the valley, promised to help and to do his best to keep the magic alive until hope comes._

“_I’m growing tired now. I still have something left to do. Something more to find protection for. May Yoba hear my prayer and give me the strength to secure a safe place before he calls me home.”_

  
  


Shepard closed the book, “That was the last entry. It doesn’t say if he found the place or what he was hiding.”

Thane opened the book and read the last bit again. “Shepard, he said he gave the original book to Lewis. Meaning there may be more. Subsequent books or updated ones. Copies maybe. We have to find them. If there are copies floating around and Joja Corp finds them...”

“They’ll be able to build the machines too. Every product you saw on their shelves was generic. They sell one type of honey, a cheap jelly that’s pretty much nothing but sugar and very little flavor. Plain everyday goods with nothing special. Having those machines will let them craft the same goods we can, it’ll break us and every other small farm business out there.”

Thane’s jaw clenched tightly, and he glanced around before slipping the yellow journal into his pack. “Search for any other journals which may have ended up in the library. If you find any, take them. We need to comb through them to see if there are any other mentions of his things. If not, we will return the books, but if there is, we need to keep the journals safe and away from Joja Corp. One good thing is they haven’t found the other books yet. We just have to figure this out and find them first.”

Shepard nodded and went back to searching the bottom shelf where she found the yellow journal. Thane went back to looking in the other area.

* * *

  
  


“Well you two, let’s see your masterpieces of artwork,” Penny said and the kids giggled before handing over the brightly colored sheets.

“These are excellent. I like the flowers and butterflies, Jas. Very pretty and colorful. Is this one of your aunt’s cows?”

“Yes, that’s Maybelle. She gives us lots of milk every day because Aunt Marnie keeps her happy.”

Penny laid the paper down and picked up Vincent’s. “A day at the beach with Sam? This is nice, Vincent. You’re building a sandcastle near the ocean and… your father is looking on. Very good. Looks like a lot of family fun.”

“Yeah, Miss Penny. Dad’s coming home soon, and we’re all going to have fun playing together, and Mom will make her yellow curry for us. Not those horrible stewed beets she makes us eat sometimes.”

Penny’s lips twitched as she laid the paper down. “Superb work both of you. Just a bit of math is left for today’s lessons.”

“Pardon me. I couldn’t help but overhear you. Do you mind if I look at the children’s artwork?” Thane said as he approached the table.

Both kids shrugged after Penny asked them if it was okay.

Thane picked up each of the papers and looked them over carefully. “Miss Penny is right. These are very nice. Very nice indeed. Could you give me just a moment before continuing your lessons, Penny? I would like to show these to Shepard.”

“Sure. I can put the crayons and papers away while waiting,” Penny said.

* * *

  
  


“Shepard, look at these and hear me out,” Thane whispered as he crouched down and handed the papers to her.

“We need a design for our farm’s labels. Why not ask the children to come up with something? Sebastian would probably design something professional and functional, but the children would make something whimsical and eye-catching. The color Jas used alone for the flowers she drew made me stop to look closer at them and not just pass the flower over to look at something else. Vincent put in quite a lot of detail for the beach, rocks, starfish, even the dips where the seagulls dug up a clam.”

Shepard studied the papers and nodded. “Yeah, just give me a moment to finish looking through this shelf. I haven’t found more of his old journals though.”

Shepard joined them several minutes later.

Thane laid the papers on the table and took a seat on one of the low stools sitting there. “Shepard and I both like your artwork very much and would like to extend an offer to you. We need an original piece of artwork for our farm business label. We would like to commission the creation of a similar style for us if possible.”

Vincent and Jas looked at each other, “Huh?” Vincent said to Thane.

Penny covered her mouth to hide a small laugh before she said, “Mrs. Shepard and Mr. Thane want you to draw them something they can use to tell people it was their farm which made the food or items they put up for sale. The melon Ms. Jodi used to make the Pink Cake yesterday came from their farm. We only knew that because Pierre told us when we stopped in to buy it. They want something which tells people where it came from when they look at the jars or boxes.”

“Oh, like on Mom’s box of detergent, it has Joja written on it,” Vincent said and Penny nodded.

“We loved the colors and the amount of detail you both did on these. We want something that’s fun and makes people want to look at it, using bright colors and things found on our farm. Flowers, bees, vegetables. Things like that, along with the farm’s name,” Shepard told them.

“I’ll do it for you, Ms. Shepard. You did something very nice for me, and I’ll do something for you,” Jas said and Vincent nodded.

“Well, it seems like you both will be very busy. Since the fall festival is coming up soon how about we spend the days working on this project to have it ready for them by then,” Penny said and both kids bounced in their seats at the thought of no math or reading for the next several days.

“We’ll need time to get it to Sebastian and have him do whatever he does with graphics. Will a week be enough time for you two?” Shepard asked, and the kids looked at each other and then to Penny.

“If you two come up with what you want to draw, I’ll make the outline of their farm name. Then you guys can color it in and share time drawing and coloring in the rest,” Penny said, and they smiled.

“Wonderful. As payment, how about we buy you a pizza when it’s finished,” Thane said, and both children cheered. Gunther made a shushing sound from where he stood behind the counter.

* * *

  
  


Friday dawned clear and hot. Shepard and Thane finished their watering and collected the bottle of pale ale from the keg and added it to the box with the rest. Shepard dropped in another bundle of hops as they said goodbye to Robin, who was working on the roof of the house addition.

“I should be finished by Monday,” she yelled down at them and they waved to her to let her know they heard.

“Well, let’s head to the forest and see if the people from the forum show up or not,” Shepard said and they walked toward the southern end of their farm stopping long enough to check over the bee houses they had set up in individual areas. Thane made a note to purchase enough fairy rose seeds when they became available to plant in each section since it was the only flower available to them in the fall.

After they entered the forest, they began searching in any areas which were clear enough for a merchant to set up in. They stopped dead in their tracks when they entered a small clearing above the large lake and saw a wagon parked there.

“Do you think that’s them?” Shepard asked.

“The email said we couldn’t miss them,” Thane responded.

Shepard snorted as they looked back toward the huge red and purple wagon with a bright green roof.

“Well, I suppose we can go find out,” she said, and they moved closer. Only to stop again when they saw the animal pulling the wagon.

A gigantic pink pig wearing glasses and a fez on its head stood between the wagon’s braces.

Shepard coughed to hide her laughter before turning around and walking back toward the woods. When Thane joined her, he found her sitting on the ground with her head buried in her arms and her body shaking.

“Just… just give me a minute,” she said. “I don’t think I’ve laughed this hard since the time we took Legion on to the Citadel and he started to beatbox and do the robot dance while we waited in the customs line because he got bored.”

After a few more minutes, he pulled her to her feet and shook his head. “I admit, I had a hard time with the whole setup as well. Do you really think that creature could pull the wagon?”

Shepard shrugged. “I’m wondering why it needs glasses.”

“Welcome, visitors,” said the green-haired woman leaning out of the open side of the wagon. “I come from a land far away to bring you many rare and wonderful things. Have a look.”

They looked at the variety of very, very overpriced goods before Thane said, “Do you have anything worth the fruits of our labor?”

The woman raised a green eyebrow and nodded, “I do, good sir. Right this way,” she said and moved to open the back door of the wagon for them.

“We’ll only offer seasonal goods. It’s hard enough getting these things out of our region as it is. The contact said you guys were told the items we could bring would be on the expensive side, I hope you all understand why. We lost a shipment off a small merchant boat to so-called customs searches a week ago. Two days later one of our insiders saw the goods for sale at the local JojaMart.”

Shepard hissed under her breath.

“We’ll rotate the supplies as best we can. If you have any seeds or saplings you want to sell to us, just bring them along next time and we’ll give you a fair price for them. This time we have lavender flower seeds 20Gs a packet, raspberry seeds 60Gs each, and a single ylang-ylang sapling which costs 3,000Gs. The others didn’t want to send too much… just in case it was a setup, but I can tell you guys aren’t Joja informants.”

Thane nodded, “We completely understand. We’ll take the sapling, and ten packets of each seed. We hope to do more business with you next week.”

The woman smiled. “When you plant the sapling, make sure nothing grows in the area surrounding it. No grass or weeds or anything. It’ll take 28 days to grow so won’t produce anything this year, but by next summer it will be fully grown and you can begin collecting the flowers every day in summer.”

“What exactly are the flowers used for?” Shepard asked.

“The ylang-ylang flowers are a prized flower for aromatherapy and perfumery. We sell the flowers for 75Gs a piece. Each summer nets 28 flowers from a fully grown tree, sometimes more if we get lucky. As the tree matures further, the flowers become more vibrant and stronger scented so become more valuable.”

They paid for their purchases and the merchant told them they would let the others know and will have a better selection the following week.

They returned to their farm and cleared out the small section of pine trees which had grown next to the house again. Once everything was cleared away, Thane hoed a small hole and Shepard placed the burlap-wrapped tree ball into the ground. After filling the hole back in, they stood back as the small sapling wiggled slightly and straightened itself up. The soil around the sapling darkened a bit and looked as is if it was moist. Thane reached down and dabbed it. “It feels as if we just watered it.”

Shepard shook her head and went into the house to put the seeds in the chest for next year. She grinned as she remembered raspberries from the Citadel. One cafe had a dessert section, and they carried raspberry-filled tarts. She could imagine jar after jar of raspberry-flavored jelly coming off a line of preserve jars.

“What has put that grin on your face, Siha?”

“Raspberry jelly.”

“Ah.”


	26. End of Summertime

* * *

The next morning Robin called out to them before she started working. “Guys, I will need to seal off your house today and tomorrow to install the kitchen and fix up the electricity. It will smell of paint, varnish, and a bunch of other things so you shouldn’t stay here.”

Shepard and Thane looked at each other, “We don’t have anywhere else to stay.”

Robin waved a hand at her. “Already taken care of. Lewis said you could stay at his place this weekend while I finished up. He’s got several spare rooms in that big old house of his which rarely gets used.”

“That’s very kind of him. We shall need a bit of time to move things out of the house,” Thane said.

Robin nodded, “I’ve got to unload the rest of the supplies and stuff, anyway. Go ahead and do what you need to do. Just let me know when you’re ready.”

They packed up the food storage chest and other items. While Shepard talked with Robin, Thane removed the chest and placed it near the keg and refilled it before closing the lid. Soon after, they finished their chores and Robin began hanging more tarps around the outside of their house.

Monday came around and Shepard leaned against the fence next to the pond, eating a poppy seed muffin she bought from Pierre’s the day before and looking out over their fields. The only remaining crops were the repeat harvest items and row after row of wheat which would be ready to harvest the next morning. They could get one more harvest in before planting the last crop, which they planned on harvesting on the first day of fall. They didn’t want to take up the spaces for more wheat in the fall unless they were limited on crops. Pierre had laughed when they said that and grinned when they asked what was so funny. “You’ll see,” he said and tucked the seed catalog under the counter before she could reach for it.

Thane took the muffin she held out. “Does it feel a bit cooler to you?”

Thane nodded.

“We will need to order clothes again. And coats too,” she sighed as she stuffed the last bite of muffin in her mouth.

They both looked up when Robin pulled into the yard. “Hey, guys, ready to see your finished house?”

“We sure are,” Shepard said and Robin grinned at her.

Robin climbed on the roof of the house and reached for the seals on one tarp and undid them. The tarp fell to the ground, revealing a new birch wood porch surrounded by a thick stone foundation. The door was painted forest green, while the house itself was lighter green. Two new windows overlooked the porch with flower boxes sitting right below them. A large sheltered area was to the far left of the door and stocked with thick chunks of wood. Several flower pots lined the right side of the porch and labeled with the names of all the herbs.

“Pierre told me you guys grew herbs here. So I brought you some herb pots made by Leah. Demetrius transplanted them yesterday when he was here checking the mushroom cave.” She pulled out her cell phone, “He also wanted to pass on a message. ‘The floor of the cave has increased in dampness and a small puddle of water is accumulating in the cave's corner. My hypothesis is the trickle of water from the cave wall is increasing, possibly because of the heavy rains of the season. I will monitor it and make notes when I come to inspect the growth rate and frequency of the species of fungus growing here’,” Robin said before she moved across the roof and reached for the next tarp.

When this one fell, they saw the enlarged area which could only be their bedroom and bathroom. “The bathroom has a window facing this direction with thick privacy glass on it. There’s also a skylight on the roof, so keep an eye out for leaks later on. The seals should hold with no problems, but depending on the number of storms we get they can weaken over time and need to be redone,” she told them as she climbed down the ladder.

“Bedroom windows face the forest behind your house,” she said as she moved toward the front door. “You guys ready to see the inside?”

“If it’s anything like the outside, it will be amazing, Robin. This is an incredible transformation from a one-room shack to an actual house.”

Robin smiled at Shepard, “It gets better, Shepard.”

She unlocked the door and handed the set of keys to Thane before opening it up and letting them walk inside.

The new floor was also birch wood and shone with a high gloss of fresh varnish and polish. Shepard moved to the kitchen and began opening the doors on the row of cupboards as Thane looked around the living room.

He touched the paper on the walls and nodded. “This is an excellent color choice, Robin,” he said as he ran a hand over the light green wallpaper and along the birch wainscoting. He moved to exam the repaired fireplace and lifted the potted plant sitting on the new mantle to look closer at it before replacing it.

“Glad you like it. Pierre had just enough in stock to paper this room. I found a cream-colored paper for the kitchen with thin stripes in the same green color. The bedroom is down this hallway and is the first door you come to. The bathroom, the last one down. I built a small linen closet in between them with a wooden accordion-style door.

“Let me know what you think once you’ve investigated the rest of the house. I’ve got to get going, Evelyn called saying Alex dropped his weights on the floor and ended up breaking some wooden slats. If you see anything you don’t like or feel needs changing, let me know.

“I’ve tested all the pipes and electrical outlets. One thing to keep in mind is the water heater is small and runs off solar power. You should limit your hot water usage, especially during the winter months. I recommend using the bath at the railroad and keep the hot water for daily cooking and cleaning with.”

“I’m sure it will be as perfect as the outside and living room. We thank you for your hard work,” Thane said and bowed to her, which caused her to raise an eyebrow.

“The kitchen is great, Robin. Thanks for everything,” Shepard said as she joined them in the living room.

“You’re welcome. I hope to see you guys soon. I’ve really got to run. Don’t forget about the festival in a few days. Demetrius and I will be there. Even Sebby doesn’t mind going to this one since it’s at night,” she said as she closed the front door behind her.

“We have a house,” Shepard said. “This place is larger than my apartment back on the Citadel, too.”

Thane nodded. “My home on Kahje was large, at least by our standards. We had very few single-family homes, preferring to use the limited land space inside the domes for food production facilities. Being the most accomplished master assassin the Compact produced in well over fifty years had its perks. Irikah loved our home near the Encompassing. We had a view of the sea, which many people envied.”

“I know it must be difficult for you to be here, Thane, and not on Kalahira’s shores,” Shepard mumbled as she touched the birch wood door to the bedroom. “If I knew it would strip you away from there, I wouldn’t have carried you in my thoughts as I went to my end.”

Thane closed his eyes as he laid his head on hers and enfolded her in his arms. “Do not say such things, Siha. I waited on the shore for you. If I thought only of being with Irikah upon my death, I wouldn’t have done so. I don’t think my soul could have been pulled from there if it hadn’t been meant to. It is possible that the part of me which wanted to be reunited with you was drawn here, while the part of me which solely belonged to Irikah remained there with her.

“I saw her before I came to be here. We spoke… we relearned each other. She noticed the changes in me. She told me she watched me and knew of my love for you and didn’t hold it against me. She was thankful you had woken me and brought Kolyat back to me. She was looking forward to meeting you when you arrived on the shore.”

Shepard blinked and drew in a shaky breath. “I thought maybe she would have hated me for taking a part of your heart for my own.”

Thane chuckled. “Irikah knew long before they killed her I had fallen back into the battle sleep. She knew she couldn’t wake me from it again. But she saw it was gone, I was fully awake even without you being there. And she was happy for me, and happy because of you. Now no more talk of things best left in the past. Let us view the rest of the home Robin built for us.”

Shepard twisted the knob, and the door opened soundlessly. They both stood in awe at the spacious bedroom with the highly polished dark walnut flooring and matching bed frame and dresser. Cream and rose-colored throw rugs littered the floor, and Shepard moved to inspect the bed coverings while Thane looked over the dresser.

“This is solid wood and very heavy. There is no plastic involved here, Shepard. Even the handles are made of metal,” he said and tested the tracks the doors slid on. “The tracks are metal as well. She made this piece of furniture to last a lifetime and beyond.”

“The bed’s the same way. The frame doesn’t even budge when I push against it. It would be a bitch to move without those magic packs. The wallpaper really sets the bed covers off too. The dark green of the upper part of the room looks great while the lower, lighter part brightens up the floor area.”

Thane nodded as he opened a small door inset in the wall. “She built us a closet, so no more keeping our clothes in a basket. This must be the back part of the linen closet she mentioned.” He turned around and saw Shepard pushing on the bed’s mattress with both hands and humming.

“This will be heavenly,” she said as she ran a hand over the lightweight rose-colored blanket. A folded duvet sat on top of the dresser in preparation for next season. She gasped when she felt Thane’s hands close over her waist. She hadn’t heard him move from where he stood in front of the closet.

“I can’t wait to test it out. Should we stay at home today?” He murmured as he stroked her waist, then ran a hand up her side to reach around and gently cup her breast with a groan.

Shepard bit her lip to keep from groaning as he ground into her and plucked her rigid nipple. “We can’t Thane. I’ve told you not until the doctor says the hormones are working.”

He sighed and nuzzled the back of her neck before straightening up and moving away. “I won’t be able to soak in the pond to cool off soon, Shepard. The water has become a bit too chilled for me at night.”

Shepard fixed her shirt and smirked at him. “So much for your patience. You’re losing your skills, Thane.”

Thane’s eyebrow rose, “The skills which matter the most remain fresh in my mind. You’ll find out soon enough those skills are as sharp as ever. Very soon.”

They stood in the small bathroom admiring the pieces of artwork which could have only come from Leah when Shepard’s phone rang.

“Shepard.”

“Shepard, it’s Penny. The children finished the art project and would like for you and Thane to come to the library to see it.”

“Great, we’ll be there soon. Thanks, Penny.”

* * *

  
  


Thane reloaded the keg with another hop bundle as Shepard checked the herb pots and gathered the last of the chives.

An hour later they walked through the door of the library to see Penny and the kids in their usual spot around the largest table in the reading area.

“Hey, guys,” Shepard said as she approached the table. The kids smiled up at them and scooted around so they could move two more stools from a different table over.

“Well, the children worked very hard on this. It took a while for them to come up with something they both liked and thought you would as well. I think they did a lovely job. They captured a feeling of fun and happiness in their drawing. It’s also clean and clutter-free. Your farm name is prominent and attracts the eye as well as fitting in with the rest of the artwork,” Penny said as she reached for a brown envelope next to her and slid it toward Thane.

He smiled and removed the thick sheet of drawing paper from the envelope carefully and studied it before handing it to Shepard who did the same.

“Give us a few minutes to study this some more and talk together. We’ll be right over there next to the display of gems,” Thane said, and they moved over toward the doorway.

Shepard held the paper up and they both looked at it and nodded. Thane pointed to several things and Shepard hummed thoughtfully before they walked back to the table.

“We love it. It’s just what we were hoping for. The colors are bright and you can really see the details on the flowers and insects. The way the letters of the farm name tilt this way and that slightly brings the whole thing together. And having the dot over the letter ‘I’ be a giant flower is cool, as is having the capital letter ‘G’ acting like a flowerpot with little flowers in it. We’re happy you used reoccurring colors in the farm name to match the flowers and not just made it solid black too,” Shepard said. She placed the drawing on the table and slid it toward the center. “One thing is missing though.”

Vincent and Jas looked down at the paper, then back at her. “What?”

“The artists forgot to sign their artwork. We can’t have that, we want to make sure everyone knows you three put this together,” she said and Penny smiled.

“I only did the outlines of the letters, the children did the rest.”

Shepard shrugged, and Penny opened her pack and brought out the small box of crayons. Each of the children put their names in small letters under the farm name, and Penny signed hers against one of the small flowers.

“Now I believe we owe you a pizza. I’ll head over to the Stardrop to get us one. Why don’t we sit at a table near the community center and make it a picnic?” Thane said, and the kids cheered, which earned them another shushing by Gunther.

* * *

  
  


After their picnic, Shepard dialed Sebastian’s business phone.

“Corrupted Bytes,” Sebastian said.

“It’s Shepard. We’ve got the graphics for the label and stuff. When do you have time for us to come and get it all set up?”

There was a brief pause. “Swing by at eight tonight. I’ll have the program ready and the list of things you’ll probably want. Since you’re bringing your own graphics, I’ll need to scan it in and set up the electronic copyright agreement for you. It’s part of the fee for my services, which I send to them along with a copy of what’s being copyrighted. I’ll get as much done in advance as I can but expect to be here two or three hours.”

“Got it. Thanks, Sebastian.”

They were standing under the tree fishing near the carpenter’s shop later that night when Sebastian joined them. “Just coming out for a quick smoke before you guys showed up,” he said and put the unlit cigarette back into the pack.

“Sorry, Sebastian. If we’d known you’d be hanging out here, we would have moved down further so you could,” Shepard said as Sebastian shrugged.

“No biggie. My mom’s probably happy my clothes haven’t been smelling of the smoke of as much lately, anyway.”

When they entered the house Sebastian called out that Shepard and Thane were there and were customers of his. Robin poked her head around the corner of the hallway and asked how they liked the house.

“It’s incredible. We’ll be by in a few days to purchase some more furniture. It’s looking empty now.”

Sebastian closed the door to his room and entered the password for his screensaver before pushing a blue folder toward them. “This is the contract. Basic stuff saying you’re authorizing me to handle filling out and filing the electronic copyright for artwork pertaining to your business and handling the setup of your business documents. Just read over them and sign them if it all looks alright while I get the labeling software ready. Let me have the graphics you want to be added so I can get them scanned in for you.”

Shepard handed him the envelope, and he opened it. They heard him chuckling and glanced up at him.

“Well, not what I had in mind, that’s for sure, but it’s cool. At least now I understand what Vincent was going on about when I was at their place.”

Sebastian moved toward a large device in the corner of his room and started the machine going when Thane said, “You said a part of your fee is a payment for the copyright, correct?”

“Yeah. There’s an itemized list at the very back of the stack. What I charge for everything, including securing your documents on a server and providing the thumb drive for you. Right down to the last G.”

“This is pretty damn thorough, Sebastian. I don’t think I’ve seen something this precise before,” Shepard said as she finished reading over the papers and signed them.

“Learned fast to protect my ass when I started doing business. I handle too much shit to just say here you go, I guess pay me whatever. It’s why I get so pissed when they want me to make web pages and graphics, and all their shit for free, and not take into account the amount of work I have to do and keep doing for them.”

Sebastian handed the envelope with the original artwork inside to Shepard then began typing after making sure the papers were signed and ready.

An hour later, he handed them a printout of the completed copyright paperwork. They watched as he inserted a paper check into the envelope with a copy of the logo and pasted an address sticker on it.

“I’ll put this in the box for the Mayor to pick up. I’ll get a delivery notice in a few days and will print you out a copy along with the notice of the registration. Now comes the fun part, getting your business labels and paperwork ready with your logo.”

When they glanced up at Sebastian’s wall clock, it was almost eleven o’clock and Shepard yawned. Sebastian snorted and handed them the packet containing printed business cards, honey and preserve jar labels and enough bottle labels for twenty bottles of pale ale and beer.

“When you need more labels just swing by. I’ll print them out and show you how to do it in case I’m busy or something. I posted the fees on the machine, just drop the money into the box next to the printer. If you guys will need more than a dozen or so labels each season, it’d be best to invest in your own printer and laptop sooner rather than later. The fees for the labels will add up quickly.”

“We’ll call you after we get fall crops in. We are unsure of what would be suitable for our needs,” Thane said as they stood up and walked to the door.

“No problem. I’ll start getting together a list of a few models and must-have equipment for a basic setup. And for Yoba’s sake, get your asses on the internet. It’ll make it so much easier.”

They both laughed at him before leaving the room.

* * *

  
  


The next morning after tending the garden, they affixed the labels on everything they could.

“I’ll take this unlabeled bottle of pale ale to Pam today. Once the last bottle is out of the keg, let’s make beer. We should have a half dozen bottles of each to sell at the festival along with about forty jars of pickles and jelly, another twenty honey, and a few dozen flowers. It’s not all that much, but it will be a start,” Shepard said, and Thane nodded.

“Be sure to stop by the Mayor’s house to update our sales items. When I purchased the license we were not making alcohol at the time.”

Shepard packed her backpack and grabbed the pickaxe as Thane slid his own pack on and chose the axe.

“I noticed another flash coming from past the mushroom cave the other day. I will try to clear a path to investigate.”

Shepard nodded, “We need more iron, so I’ll clear as many levels as I can and hope for a good load of ore. According to Madame Welwick’s fortune, it’ll be a good day.”

Thane chuckled and kissed her before heading toward the cave.

* * *

  
  


It was almost two in the afternoon when Shepard reached level 60 of the mine and heard the ding of the lift. She saw a chest sitting in the middle of the floor and a large lake, but nothing else. She found a dagger with a crystalline blade and tucked it into her pack. She noticed it was full, so took the lift back to the entrance and began dumping everything into a chest Thane had placed next to the lift doors since they couldn’t drop one on the mine level’s floor.

When her phone rang, she answered it with her usual, “Shepard.”

“Siha. I found what caused the flashing I saw. There is a ruined building here, overgrown with weeds and grass with a tree growing right in the center. But it’s a building.”

“Did you find any clues which could lead us to Hollander’s other books or whatever it was he was hiding?”

“No. Everything is damaged beyond repair as well. There seemed to be a water source or the equivalent to it here as a large metal trough with a rusty pipe is against one wall, or I should say what used to be a wall.”

“Can you see the far cliff side yet?”

“No. The entire area is a thickly overgrown forest. We need to upgrade the axe and pickaxe again. We should try to get rid of the large downed trees and rocks to get this area clear.”

“I found a lot of iron ore and even some more copper. Several different gems and I found more of the strange red-colored wood the Junimos asked for inside a barrel. We’ll talk with Clint in the morning to see what we need to upgrade the axe again, at least. We also need bigger packs. I’m finding so much stuff in the mine that I spend more time coming back up here to unload than what I do clearing the mine out.”

“I’ll call Pierre after I check around this area and see what he can do. I’ll see you when you get home, Siha.”

Shepard returned to the previous mine level and ate a hastily thrown together sandwich she made before leaving the house while she fished in the partially frozen water. She found a rather enormous load of trash items and several more ghostfish while she ate lunch. She just stuffed the last bite into her mouth when the line gave a tremendous tug and began darting around the water faster than normal. She almost lost it several times before reeling the fish in. A bright blue fish dangled on the line. It wasn’t all that large, eight inches at the most, but it gave off a chill all its own. Shepard dropped it into her pack and headed for the ladder going down.

* * *

  
  


As Thane stood at the kitchen counter and carefully cut up several items as he followed the recipe for stir-fry he learned from a re-run of Queen of Sauce, Shepard moved items around in the chests. She pulled the things for the museum out and put them in his pack while she loaded five iron bars into her own and tucked a paper sack full of Gs into a different pocket.

“You should have seen it, Thane. When I pulled out the bottle of pale ale from the pack, I could have sworn Pam’s eyes literally lit up. She handed me the stack of cash and I didn’t even have time to put it in my pocket before she had the bottle cap off and was chugging it down like a bottle of water.”

Thane twisted around enough to see Shepard sitting on the floor and shaking her head. “Did she at least tell you if it was an excellent brew?”

“Yeah… I think so, anyway. She mumbled something about a slightly nutty flavor and smacked her lips. She dropped the bottle on the ground with the rest of the trash in front of her trailer. I told her I’d take it to the recycling area since I was headed there, anyway.”

Thane sighed. “We should do something about the accumulating trash there. Penny tries to keep it clean, but it continues to build up every day. We do not want more of it to end up in the stream next to their home.”

“I know. I picked up a few of the other bottles when Penny opened the front door and saw what I was doing. She stammered an apology to me about the condition of the yard and her mother. When the bus broke down Pam lost her job and started to drink heavily. She blows through all of Penny’s earnings for teaching the kids pretty fast.

“The Junimos want a small fortune to fix up the bus. Maybe we can start setting aside part of the fishing income to put toward getting it working again. It might help Pam get her act together and ease some of Penny’s anxiety.”

Thane paused in his chopping up of kale and nodded. “Yes, we can do that. Lewis gives us itemized sales receipts so we’ll know how much came from the fish.”

She pulled one of the empty paper seed bags from the chest and marked it for the bus fund. “I don’t know how much the upgrade costs, so I’m taking all our seed money along with the upgrade money just in case.”

Thane hummed and dumped the mushrooms into the heated oil to let them fry.

“I got quite the haul today. A lot of repeat gems, stone, ores, and other crap. I even found another fishing area and a different fish too. We should have a good payday tomorrow.”

“Sounds like it will offset the cost the upgrade and two new packs. Pierre and Carolyn searched their old inventory boxes and found larger ones for us. He said they’ve must have been there for a while since dust covered the boxes. I suggested contacting Sebastian and have him create an inventory program for him so he would know what he has in stock and what he may need. It will save him money in the long run. He said he’d think about it, but purchasing items from the Joja Mart in Zuzu City is cutting into his profits. I told him of the seeds we purchased and what the merchant told us. He’s hoping they bring us a larger selection of items to choose from next time.”

* * *

They both heaved sighs as they settled into the bed. “I knew this would be heavenly. I don’t think I will ever take having a soft mattress and an actual bed for granted ever again after sleeping on the floor so much,” Shepard said as she rolled over and tugged the sheet and light blanket up.

“It certainly makes for a more restful night,” he murmured into her ear as he moved closer to her. “Although… there is one more aspect of the stability of the bed frame and mattress we have yet to test.”

“Thane… behave. You’re just making it worse on us. We have to wait.”

He groaned, “What is the human term… fool around? Yes, that’s the one. We can fool around a bit.”

She glanced over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow, “Where the hell did you hear that?”

“A conversation on the Normandy late one evening. I was returning to the Life Support room when I overheard Miss Chambers whispering those words to a certain turian on board. Garrus, however, started laughing and said he had no fetish for humans, and even if he did, she would be the last one he would take to bed as an experiment on cross-species compatibility.”

Shepard started chuckling and snuggled back into the mattress. “No fooling around. It starts out as harmless, then before you know it we’d be going at it hot and heavy; making the bedsprings squeak and trying to put a hole in the wall. Safer to wait until Harvey gives us the test results in a few weeks.”

Thane groaned again and flopped on his back. A minute later, he rolled back toward Shepard. “We never made the bed squeak before...”

“You also weren’t a human male before and things work a bit different. Go to sleep, Thane.”


	27. Dance of the Moonlight Jellies

* * *

The last Friday of the season rolled around. Shepard and Thane spent the morning scything down the last of the summer only crops. Thane’s patch of tea, the row of corn, and the three hops trellis’ they would leave up until they harvested it on the last day of the season.

“Let’s get to the forest and see what the merchant has for us before heading to town. These next few days will let us build up a number of ores and coal from the mine and get us the upgrade for the hoe before the start of fall,” Shepard said as she dropped a few last items into her new 24-slot pack.

They entered the same clearing as last Friday, and once again the strange wagon pulled by a giant pig sat there partially screened by several trees.

“Welcome. I come from a land far away to bring you many rare and unique items. Please look around,” the same green-haired merchant as last time said.

They pretended to look over everything on offer, which was over four times what it would normally sell for, before giving her the passphrase again.

“Glad you guys came back. It’s been one heck of a week. We lost another farm to Joja Corp. They sold us all of their remaining seeds and saplings before Joja could get hold of them. What I have today is all that’s left. Unfortunately, you guys are my last stop before going back to my place and restocking. Do you have anything to trade? Anything at all?”

“We have produce. We don’t have any available seeds or anything since we’re just getting started,” Shepard said.

The merchant sighed. “I’ll take it. I’ll start the drying process on them and by next season the seeds will be ready to trade out to others. It’s something, at least.”

“It takes a full season to dry the seeds?” Thane asked. The woman nodded as she unlocked a hidden panel in the wagon and slid the door to the side.

“Yeah. You have to remove the seeds from the produce and sort them, wipe them clean, then lay them out to dry on several newspapers for weeks before we can put them in packets for next year.”

Thane glanced at Shepard before looking at the small boxes inside the hidden compartment.

“This week we have packets of Herbal Lavender at 20Gs each, Lilac and Fragrant Lilac at 25Gs each. Yellow melon seeds, I know it sounds dumb, but I’m not the one who named the melon for 100Gs each. Ginger roots for 50Gs each and another sapling… this one’s expensive, and I’m really sorry, but I can’t lower the price.”

“How much and what is it?”

The merchant looked at Shepard and swallowed. “Avocado sapling for 8,000Gs.”

Shepard blinked, then whistled.

“I know… I know, but the farmer was adamant about the price. The guy’s a bastard, but he’s the only one who grows the damn things. I’m lucky I could even get him to part with one of them. I had to trade him not only the last of the other farm’s saplings but also give him a bunch of crop seeds. I still took an 8K hit.”

Thane frowned. “We’ll need a few minutes to discuss and decide about the tree, but tell me, what is the difference between the lilac and fragrant lilac flowers?”

“The lilac flowers are good for things like aromatherapy and flower bouquets. The fragrant ones, however, are also suitable for eating. You can make a delicate tea with the petals and tea leaves. The petals can also be candied and eaten or used in salads or as an edible garnish to meals.”

“Would the herbal lavender plant be the same?”

The merchant nodded at Thane’s question. “Yes. The florist who grows these specifically propagates them for different uses. Edibles are usually named differently, such as herbal or shaded or fragrant. They look very similar so be careful to know which is which when you harvest and store them for use.”

Thane nodded. They stepped out of the wagon and moved to beneath one of the very large trees nearby.

“I don’t know, Thane, eight thousand is an awful lot for a tree.”

“I understand, Siha. We must take into account many things. But if this one farmer is the only one to grow such trees, he has no competition at present and can charge such an outlandish price. If we grow the tree and add saplings of our own to the mix, the price will lower and we can provide the valley with an exotic item.”

“How do we even get saplings? We do not understand how to do it, or if we’d be able to do it.”

Thane hummed and thought, “There are no directions in the farming books, nor in Hollander’s own book. It cannot hurt to ask the merchant as she too is a farmer. But I think the tree will be an excellent investment.”

Shepard hung her head. “It will take us a solid day of fishing or an extremely lucky day in the mine to make the money back.”

Thane rubbed her arms and rumbled an agreement.

The merchant opened the back door again and raised an eyebrow.

“We’ll take the sapling, and twenty of each of flower seeds. Ten ginger roots and the same in the melon seeds.” Shepard sighed as she counted out the money.

When she returned with the items, Thane put the seeds in his pack and cradled the sapling in his arms. “If you don’t mind me asking, how do you create saplings?”

The merchant frowned, “It can take years for a fully grown tree to produce a fertile seed. It’s easier for some tree species than others. Like the maples and oaks, all you need to do is find one of their acorns or maple seed pods and plant them. Fruit trees… not so easy. Take care of your sapling, it might be the only one the curmudgeon will part with since he’s the only one I’ve heard of who can get saplings from them.”

They said goodbye and would be back next week before heading for the shortcut back to their farm.

Thane made sure to have the area for the new sapling clear and far enough away from the ylang-ylang tree to grow without interference, then planted it. As with the ylang-ylang, it shivered a bit, straightened, then the surrounding soil turned moist.

Shepard dropped off the seed packets, and they headed toward town.

* * *

  
  


“Pierre, we’re here to pick up our order of bottles and clothes.”

Pierre glanced up and pointed to the large crate off to the side. “Three dozen wine bottles, two dozen beer bottles, one dozen juice bottles, four dozen honey jars, and eight dozen pickling and jelly jars. All carefully checked over before I packed them into the crate. All the lids and stuff are in there too,” he said as he pulled out a large-handled bag from under the counter. “And here is your fall clothing, along with two lightweight jackets, two sweaters each, and new boots and heavier socks. The winter catalog just came in; I put a copy in your bag for you to look over later.”

Shepard jammed the clothing bag down into her pack then moved over to the large crate where Thane was on his knees sliding his bag up under the pallet the crate sat on.

“We’re ready, Pierre. You can lower the pallet down,” she said, and Pierre squeezed the handle to lower the pallet as he pulled the jack out from under the slats at the same time. A moment later, the whole thing gave a shudder and fell into Thane’s backpack.

“Damn, that bag is a miracle,” she muttered as Thane stood up and shrugged the pack on.

“The manufacturer just announced a new bag will go into production soon. A 36-slot one. Rasmodius said he’d enchant them for you the moment they arrived if you’re thinking about ordering them.”

Thane glanced at Pierre, “And the cost of this larger bag?”

Pierre chewed his inner cheek for a second, “They cost 10,000Gs each.”

“Holy shit, Pierre. We just put out close to 10K on a sapling and seeds. We’re going to be scraping the bottom of the barrel for Gs for next season’s seeds as it is.”

Thane placed a hand on Shepard’s shoulder to calm her. “We can’t afford it right now, Pierre. Maybe by the end of next season, depending on how well the market sales are and how we make out on the seasonal produce. We do have a question for you though.”

Pierre nodded and tugged on his brown shirt to straighten it.

“You sell tree saplings here, how do you come by them? Do you grow them yourself or do you purchase from elsewhere?”

“I… the ones I have… the ones I have for sale have been sitting in my family’s greenhouse since I was a kid. No one is interested in growing the trees, they just want the damn fruit. The saplings don’t grow. They’ve stayed that way for over thirty years and I do not understand why or how. But they also haven’t died and my dad… he said to keep the damn things and not dig them up and throw them out. The fruit you see for sale I purchase from Joja Corp, so I would have some here for customers and hope they buy from me instead of going to the JojaMart. I keep it clean and dry and inside those wooden crates which seem to help keep the fruits from molding and rotting.”

“Just how many do you have?” Shepard asked quietly, knowing full well it had something to do with Hollander and the Junimos.

“I have two each of apple, cherry, orange, peach, pomegranate, and apricot.”

Shepard and Thane shared a glance. “How much do you want for all of them, Pierre?”

He blinked, then stammered, “What? All of them? I can order you ones from a tree farm if you want fruit trees.”

Thane nodded. “All of them. Not the ones ordered from elsewhere, just those specific trees.”

“There’s something wrong with them, Thane. They don’t grow. I can’t sell you those things. Not with a good conscience. They’re old.”

Shepard shook her head. “Trust us, Pierre. We know they’re old, but we’re interested, anyway. How much do you want for the lot?”

Pierre moved behind his counter and looked at the worn and scarred wood surface for several moments before reaching for a calculator. “The entire lot of trees… I can sell for 50,800Gs. I’ll be able to order fresh ones and maybe get them to actually grow in my greenhouse and supply the town with fresh fruit so you can use yours for other things,” he said and slid the calculator closer to them so they could see what each tree would cost.

“Don’t tell anyone else about the saplings, Pierre. Hold on to them until after the festival, and we’ll buy as many from you as we can. We’ve got a lot of products and have added beers and pale ale to the mix. By the end of fall, we’ll be adding wines and boosting our production.”

Pierre nodded, “But what if they won’t grow for you, Shepard? I already feel bad for even giving such a high price for those trees, knowing they probably will remain the way they are.”

“Don’t worry, Pierre. If they don’t grow, then they don’t grow. It’s our choice to purchase them. Understand?”

* * *

  
  


Shepard and Thane both entered the mine and took the lift to the 60th level. “I’ll stay here and fish and hope for a crapload of those blue fish. I can’t believe those things are worth over 600Gs each.”

Thane pulled the pickaxe from his pack and hooked it on the loop after giving the heavy lead bat a few practice swings. “I’ll stop back after getting to level 65 and unloading my pack in the chest, then we’ll switch off. If we are lucky, we’ll get a good supply of items from here and make it to level 70 before it’s time to go home.”

After a not so quick kiss, Thane growled and took the ladder down to the next level while Shepard baited her fishing hook and settled in for a long session of fishing in the frozen part of the mine.

Several hours later she hauled in a ghostfish just as the lift sounded a ding and Thane walked out.

“How did the mining go?”

He shrugged. “Today was not as good as I hoped. We got plenty of stone, and geodes, the coal drops were decent too. But the iron ore and copper were not as plentiful. I found two frozen tears and a jade.”

She frowned, “Damn it. I got a shit ton of trash, enough cans of Joja Cola to stock their shelf with, and a dozen ghostfish, but only four of the blue fish.”

“Every little bit helps, Siha,” he said tiredly and reached for the better fishing rod.

Shepard ate a granola bar and drank some water after emptying her bag into the closest chest. She then took the lift down to level 65 and hefted the heavy lead bat in her hands and swung at the ghost who just floated through the wall.

* * *

  
  


“Good morning, Stardew Valley. It’s Maru with the news. Tomorrow night is the Dance of the Moonlight Jellies. It begins at 10 PM and ends at midnight. The beach will be closed all day to get set up for the festival. The jellies are a rare sight and only come close enough to be seen on this one night, so you want to come to watch if you can. You might see the super rare green jelly.”

The loud thundering crack of lightning drowned out the next few seconds of what she said, and Shepard glanced up as the ceiling light flickered.

“I hope those lightning rods protect our baby trees. I’d hate to lose that avocado tree before selling enough fruit to recoup the initial expense of it.”

Thane murmured his agreement as he pulled toast from the oven and slid it onto a plate.

“Shepard, I thought that today may be a good day to have Clint break those geodes. We have collected well over 100 of the small brown ones and thirty of the blue ones from the frozen levels of the mine. Perhaps there is something in there which can be sold for a profit.”

She spread some salmonberry jelly on her toast and nodded. “Yeah. While you do that, I’ll try to catch catfish from the river right outside his shop. Another thing I want to do today is to check in with Robin and see how much a chicken coop will be. Gus was telling me Marnie sells a lot of eggs, but when she runs out they have to get them from the JojaMart, and they always find rotten ones in the carton. I think having a few eggs to eat and maybe to sell would be good. Those deviled eggs he made for the festival were tasty.”

Thane thought about it, then agreed. “I agree. It was quite the novelty for me; eating eggs. Of course, I knew what they were, but had never seen an actual egg. Let alone a chicken before.”

Shepard smiled before standing and taking the plate to the sink to wash. “Me neither. Those little fuzzy chickens were cute though.”

* * *

  
  


Shepard saw Thane exit the blacksmith and raised her hand to wave as he sped past her, heading for the library. She cocked an eyebrow as a few minutes later he came jogging past her again and entered the blacksmith.

She dropped a catfish into her pack thirty minutes later just as Thane rushed past her again, heading for the library without stopping to say a word.

“What the hell is he doing?” she muttered as he ran past her and through the door of Clint’s shop.

This went on until just before 4 PM when Thane walked out of the blacksmith’s shop and into the library again. When he came out, he had a huge grin on his face.

The crack of lightning made him glance up at the sky. “Let’s get to Robin’s before she closes,” he said.

“What the hell were you doing running back and forth between the shop and library?”

He paused on the long flight of wooden steps leading up the cliff from the water to the upper level of the mountain where Robin’s shop was located.

“Those geodes contained all sorts of minerals. Clint told me to take them to the library, and whatever Gunther couldn’t use or we acquired duplicates of, he would buy from us. Our initial investment to break open all the blue geodes was 750Gs. After giving all the unique minerals and items from them to Gunther we ended up with twenty stones, thirteen iron ore, two gold ore, twelve copper ore, ten coal, six frozen tears, and a net profit of selling the duplicate items to Clint of over 1,400Gs. Which I immediately reinvested to have him crack open the small geodes.”

They continued on to Robin’s shop.

“What did we end up with total?” she asked just as Thane opened the door to the carpenter’s shop.

“For all the geodes he could open before his closing time? A net profit of 3,000 Gs, along with more copper and iron ores. Plenty of coal for the furnace and more resource supplies for building. We came out ahead.

“Not to mention Gunther almost had a heart attack from all the new displays we provided him with. He gave us two of Leah’s paintings, a giant stuffed bear-like creature he said would make a good toy for our children. I didn’t contradict him because the man seemed to be so happy to be rid of the thing if his mumbled “finally getting my storeroom cleared out” was any indication.

“He also brought out a giant amethyst colored geode on a display stand and said it would make a nice decoration for our living room. It is so large I think it will take up our entire living room itself. We won’t have room for a couch or chair. He said if we bring him another three special minerals he’ll give us something unique. I’m almost afraid to find out what it is.”

Shepard began laughing, and Robin leaned on the counter as she listened to them.

“Hey, Robin. We’d like to see the pricing of a small chicken coop, please,” Shepard said after she finally stopped laughing.

“Sure. The coop costs 4,000Gs. I’ll need 300 pieces of wood and 100 stones for the foundation of the building. It’ll take three days for me to build it. There will be room for up to four chickens. It includes the water source and food hopper. You might also want to think about building a silo to store the hay in. It’s 400Gs, 10 balls of clay, five copper bars, and 100 stones.”

Shepard looked at Thane, who closed his eyes for a moment before nodding. “We have the supplies. The Gs we made from the geodes and fish will cover the cost of the chicken coop and a single baby chick. We have plenty of hay with more drying on the rack now. I think we should do it.”

Robin grinned and pulled out the base map of their farm and turned on the laptop. While Shepard kept her busy with trying to find a suitable spot on the satellite overlay of their farm, Thane edge over to where their hidden chest was and removed the materials for the coop.

“I think here would be a suitable spot,” Robin said as Thane leaned toward the map. “The updated satellite imaging shows you’ve cleared a good bit of space between the mushroom cave and… whatever this is,” she said as she pointed to the ruins on their farm.

“We don’t know what that is, Robin. Thane found it a few days ago. He said there’s something resembling a trough in it, but it’s all rusty.”

“Hmm. It might be a greenhouse. There isn’t enough metal, and you didn’t find a bunch of broken stones?”

Thane shook his head. “No. There were plenty of rocks, but no smoothed or cut stones which would indicate a building made of them.”

“I’ll look before I start working. Tomorrow’s a festival, so I’ll be there bright and early on Monday. Is this site okay with you both? There’s plenty of room to build a fence and have a grazing area for them.”

They nodded and Robin started the paperwork as Shepard went down the short flight of stairs and knocked on Sebastian’s door.

“I need to use your printer,” she said as she opened it and stuck her head through.

Sebastian didn’t stop his typing, just tipped his head toward the commercial-sized printer in the far corner of his room.

After they returned to the farm, they checked all the machines and replaced the items, dropped off the foraged grapes and spice berries before starting their nightly routine.

* * *

  
  


After clearing out anything which could interfere with Robin’s building, they chopped down several more trees and broke apart some rocks. Thane used the instructions from Hollander’s crafting book to fashion pieces of a wooden fence to keep the chickens penned and safe.

At eight that evening, they cleaned up and headed toward the beach.

When they arrived, they noticed the entire town showed up. The beach was softly lit by small candles floating in boats. Tall torches placed along the shore illuminated a larger portion of the beach. After talking to everyone, they heard the Mayor call out asking if everyone was ready. They moved to the edge of the pier in front of Willy’s bait shop and stood between Robin and Harvey. They turned around as the light sources out and saw the Mayor holding a candle lantern in his hand.

“Alright everyone it’s time,” he said as he placed the lit lantern in a small wooden boat, and pushed it away from the dock. It floated out toward the horizon with the tide and everyone waited.

It didn’t take long before Leah pointed to a spot in the water which was glowing with a faint white light. Several others joined it until it lit the entire dock area. Shepard and Thane kneeled down, and he gasped.

“Shepard, I know these. These are tipu o’ tira which inhabit the Encompassing deep in the heart of a large Prothean ruin. The volcano located there would be inscribed with the name of a winner from a yearly Nyahir; a religious event. The bio-luminescence they used came from plants which the tipu o’ tira live among. They eat small plankton and fish, which give them the ability to glow. Siha… they looked exactly as these Moonlight Jellies do,” he whispered next to her ear and she blinked.

“Are you serious? There is no way these are the same creatures as the ones on Kahje.”

He frowned and looked back toward the water. “Siha… I do not know. They have such an uncanny resemblance to them,” he whispered as he leaned forward and reached toward the sea. His index finger barely touched the water when Leah gasped as a green glow rose from the spot right below his finger and floated upward.

“Arashu be praised. It is them, Shepard.”

“Dad? Look at all the small ones. We hoped for a slim number of babies, but there are at least fifty of them. Possibly more, further out at sea. What could have caused such an enormous population explosion when their numbers were declining year after year?” Maru asked.

Demetrius frowned. “I don’t know, Maru. We must carefully monitor the situation. If their population continues to grow at such a rate, it may upset the balance of sea life and they may need to be culled. We should...”

Demetrius didn’t have the chance to finish his sentence because Thane had him by the collar of his shirt and lifted him over a foot off the ground. The people closest to him scattered.

“You will not harm the tipu o’ tira. They are sacred to my people. Do not make the mistake of angering me further with this.”

“Thane,” Shepard hissed and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Let him go. That’s an order. He will bring no harm to the creatures.” He hesitated. “Now. Krios.”

“Yes, Commander.” Thane slowly lowered Demetrius to the ground. His emerald green eyes slashed toward Robin. “See that he doesn’t, Robin.”

Robin swallowed and nodded before grabbing Demetrius by the arm and pulling him toward the beach.

The others hurried away, whispering to each other, and shooting quick glances back at the pier.

“Are you alright, Thane?”

He took several deep breaths and kneeled down to peer into the water where the glow from the jellyfish was fading. “I shall be, Commander. I beg your forgiveness for losing my temper. The creatures are a symbol and reminder of my homeworld, of my wife and son. My faith. To hear someone so callously speak of killing them...”

He closed his eyes and bowed his head in prayer as Shepard stroked his hair.

When he finished, he stood up, and they turned toward the beach. They stumbled to a halt when they caught sight of Sebastian sitting on one of the pier pilings, staring at them.

“Dude, I don’t care why you attacked Demetrius, but you scared my mom and sister with that stunt. Not to mention half the damn village. I suggest you apologize to them before they decide to shun you all as they do me.”

Thane took a step forward and bowed deeply to Sebastian, “You have my apologies, Sebastian. I would bring no harm to your mother or sister. Or to you. But I shall be honest with you. Should your father harm one of the creatures, he will regret it.”

Sebastian sighed, “Dude… what the hell is going on?”

“The jellies are sacred to the people of Thane’s homeland. Not only that, but they are reminders of his family. His son and deceased wife. His lost friends, family, culture. It’s all different here, and those jellyfish are now a link to what he left behind. Do what he says, Sebastian, make damn sure you and your mother keep Demetrius away from those jellies.”

Sebastian hopped down from the piling and tugged on his hoodie, “Are you guys sure you’re not from Gotoro Empire?”

Shepard smiled a bit. “Nope, never been there, and we don’t come from there. But we do come from far away. It’s getting late and we’ve got a brand new season starting tomorrow. We all need to get some sleep.”


	28. Fall - Year One

* * *

The air had a noticeable difference in temperature; a crispness to it and a faint scent which neither of them recognized.

They heard the slam of a truck door, and soon afterward the hammering began.

Shepard turned off the television after hearing this season’s foragables would include blackberries, hazelnuts, and wild plums along with red mushrooms, common mushrooms, and a much rarer chanterelle mushroom.

She glanced over at Thane, who sat in a modified lotus position as he meditated on a rug they brought from their bedroom and placed in front of the fireplace. It was the first time she saw him meditate in this fashion since before he died.

After several minutes, he took a deep breath and opened his eyes. “I apologize for causing us to have a late start this morning, Siha.”

Shepard shrugged. “No need for apologies, Thane; at least to me, but I think Sebastian is right. You must stop by and explain what happened last night, especially to Robin and Maru.”

“I had already planned to do so, Shepard.”

They grabbed their packs, tools, and bag of seed money before leaving the house. Thane turned the sound of hammering while Shepard went to clear the debris which always seemed to appear in their fields at the start of a new season.

Thane cleared his throat loudly before approaching Robin. When she whirled around with the hammer clutched in her hand. He took a step back and held out his arms to the sides.

“I mean you no harm, Mrs. Cline. I am sorry if I startled you.”

Robin gripped the hammer tighter, and he lowered his arms before bowing. “I came to apologize for the fright my actions caused you last evening. And if you wish an explanation, I will provide you one. But I ask that you do not share it with any others except for your daughter; should she wish to know.”

“Sebby told me some of it last night after he came home.”

Thane hummed. “The tipu o’ tira, what you call a moonlight jelly, is a part of my culture’s religion. They are a sacred creature which we honor and which provides us many beneficial items. We hold a yearly religious festival in my homeland and depend on the creatures and their natural habitat. The area the jellyfish inhabit teems with bio-luminescent plants, the jellyfish is a biological necessity to the area.

“They are also a reminder of my deceased wife and family. I was working away from home for so long and so often I missed out on their daily lives. Except for that one holiday which we spent together. The jellyfish would come closer to the surface and interact with us. Just as the one did last evening when I touched the water.

“They are a link to her... to my son. I reacted badly to your husband’s words. But I cannot lie to you. I will do whatever is necessary to protect the tipu o’ tira.”

Robin stared at him for a minute, then lowered her hammer. “You said your wife was dead?”

Thane nodded. “She was murdered in our home while I was away for work. I wasn’t there to protect her. Or my son, who witnessed the event. Since that time I had not attended the Nyahir, the sacred festival, nor seen one of the creatures. Until last evening. The memories rushed in and hearing his words… of culling the creatures… of killing them, was too much.”

“Shit.”

“Again, I offer my sincere apologies to you.”

Robin nodded her head to him and turned back to work on constructing the frame of the chicken coop. “Make sure you talk with Maru and tell her what it was all about. She was crying last night. I don’t like to see my baby crying.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

Robin glanced up just as Thane reached Shepard. She saw Shepard stroke the side of Thane’s face and he nodded once before she enfolded him in her arms. Robin sighed and went back to work. She’d have to explain to Demetrius somehow without breaking Thane’s confidence. She didn’t like what he had done at all, but it was more understandable now. Even she had to admit she got mad at Demetrius when he had told Maru what he did. After all, it wasn’t up to him to decide how many of the jellyfish could be in the sea.

* * *

  
  


The horn blowing and the rattling of the Mayor’s truck had them looking up from where Thane and Shepard were counting out plots before going to buy new seeds.

“Oh shit. Here it comes. Let’s hope he doesn’t tell us to leave his town,” Shepard mumbled and Thane gripped the handle of the hoe tighter.

“Morning you two. Time to collect the taxes and to have a tour of the farm,” Mayor Lewis said as he opened the truck door at their approach.

“Yes, Sir. I’ll go inside and get the Gs,” Thane said and hurried on past.

“Huh. I haven’t even told him how much you owe yet,” Lewis said as he watched Thane softly close the door to the house.

“We’re both worried that you’ll kick us out of town after last night.”

Lewis turned toward Shepard. “Well, now normally I might have just been tempted to, but I received a visit from Rasmodius early this morning. The wizard doesn’t leave his tower all that often, and when he shows up on my doorstep I’ve learned to listen to what he has to tell me. This morning he had a rather interesting tale to tell which ended up with him saying that if you two were forced to leave the valley, we would all suffer for it, and it would end up losing the magic permeating the valley. I didn’t understand at first, and in his usual way, he told me to stop trying to understand things and just do what he said before a huge puff of purple smoke filled my house and he disappeared. What confused me, even more, was how he even knew what happened last night. He wasn’t on the beach at all.”

She blinked at him in astonishment and shrugged. Lewis opened his tax book and flipped through the pages until he came to one for the farm. He began humming and looked up when he heard the door to the house open.

“Alright, let’s see here. You’ve improved your house and had a water line run to the farm. Your income increased by quite a bit from last season. Here are the readings from both the water and electric meters for your farm,” he said and handed them the paper with the totals on it.

“For spring you owed 1,256Gs. Summer season’s total is 3,315Gs.”

Shepard groaned and watched as Thane dumped the bag of G’s onto the hood of Lewis’ truck and separated three large stacks from the rest before counting out single bills.

Lewis cleared his throat, “You should really think about opening a bank account for this. It is dangerous to keep your money in your house this way.”

Shepard raised an eyebrow, “After last night, I don’t think anyone is stupid enough to try to steal from us. Besides, they’d have to find the money first and I can guarantee it’s safer where it is than in a bank.”

“Well, if you say so. Here’s your receipt. Now let’s see the improvements you’ve made. I can hear Robin building something already.”

After showing him around the house, they showed him the rest of the farm. Thane and Shepard looked at each other when Lewis walked past the bee houses and didn’t comment about the fairies flying around. He didn’t even seem to notice them.

When they arrived back to the front porch he stood stroking his mustache. “Hmm. You’ve certainly met the housing requirement. But with most of the land still looking like a forest… I can’t really sign off on it being sufficiently improved yet. Clear some more, at least find the far cliff and get the coop fully upgraded, then we’ll call the requirement met. You have plenty of time yet.”

They nodded, and he handed them their mail before starting the truck. “Don’t forget the Fall Market festival is in a few days. Income earned during the festival isn’t taxed so sell as much as you can.” He made a U-turn and rumbled back down the lane toward town.

“That went better than expected, Shepard.”

“Rasmodius had something to do with it.”

* * *

  
  


Shepard entered Pierre’s store while Thane went next door to the clinic to talk with Maru and Harvey.

Harvey patted Maru’s shoulder as she broke down crying when Thane explained to her about his wife and what the jellies meant to him. She promised to talk to her father and tell him to only study them from afar and not to interfere with them.

He joined Shepard in Pierre’s just as Pierre wheeled a ladder over to gather their seed packets.

“Pierre told me eggplant, grapes, and cranberries were repeat harvests. I bought double the cranberries because they were good for both jelly and wine. I also got the fairy roses for the honey. We’ll need to fish well into the night to make enough cash for the rest of the seeds. We need a lot of pumpkins and yams. Then there’s the amaranth and bok choy to get. Not to mention whatever the smuggler brings us on Friday.”

Thane nodded and quietly told her that he spoke with Maru and Harvey. Maru was still upset, but she at least understood somewhat. “Harvey was explaining to her of the psychological connection between Demetrius referring to the culling of the jellyfish and the death of my wife because they were a memory link for me. Maybe I shouldn’t stay here, Siha. My faith and upbringing are too different. Maybe Rasmodius could send me back.”

Shepard turned toward him. “Back where, Thane? The Citadel? Kahje? Or to Kalahira’s shore?”

Thane closed his eyes and hung his head.

“All of us need to adjust. We more so than them. This is their town, their world, their views on things. It will be better if we try to explain things to them rather than attacking them… even though I wouldn’t mind pulling a Dantius tower push on Morris.”

Thane gave a soft snort. He had been curious about the group gunning their way through the tower he was infiltrating. He wanted to see why they were there. His curiosity piqued when they helped the salarians he tried to protect, killed the mercs hired by Nassana, and mentioned trying to find an assassin. Then came the merc, who tried to play it tough with Shepard as she demanded to know where the assassin was. He had no idea who she was and didn’t take her word about the express way down from the tower if he refused to give her the information. He went through the kinetic barrier and screamed the entire way down before hitting the pavement below.

Pierre didn’t look at them when he placed the bag of seed packets on the counter.

Thane sighed. “I suppose I frightened you as well?”

“Yes. Not just because you went after Demetrius, but you were up from a prone position, had him by the collar, and lifted him all within a few seconds.”

“I know, Pierre. Thane’s getting slow. He hasn’t worked out for a while and he’s gotten weaker lately.”

Pierre’s eyes flashed fire toward Shepard. “This is not a joking matter. He’s dangerous.”

“As am I, Pierre. You do not understand just how dangerous we are. At the same time we are helping you, doing odd jobs for the people around the town, have played with the children here, and helped Evelyn and George with many things they couldn’t do themselves. We may slip up once in a while. You know we aren’t from here. But we do our best to fit in and be productive members of the community.”

Pierre’s lips pinched slightly, then he sighed. “I know. You’ve done more for my family in the two seasons you’ve been here than anyone else has in years.”

“As I’ve told Robin and Maru, the jellies are a sacred species and part of a religious celebration back where I come from. The only time I saw my family was during the holiday. Then Irikah was taken from me. The memories of her and my son playing in the water while surrounded by them were vivid last night. My species has what we call an eidetic memory and we can recall memories in perfect clarity and detail, right down to the smells, feel of breezes on our bodies, and emotions.

“They are the same species as on my own world, Pierre. Whether some sort of bridge happened between our two realities in the far distant past or some other phenomenon occurred, it allowed the jellyfish to exist both here on your world and on Kahje, my world.”

Pierre wiped his glasses as he thought about everything Thane said. None of them noticed when Caroline and Abigail came through the door.

“When you say the jellyfish are tied to memories of your wife, what do you mean?”

“During the holiday I mentioned, my son, wife, and I would attend and swim among them. Due to my work, I was away from home all the time, but I managed to always make it home a day or so before the festival. Except once. The job I was contracted to do took longer than I expected. When I arrived home, it was to find Irikah, my wife, had been brutally murdered in our home the day before. Kolyat witnessed the whole thing from where he hid behind a wall vent. The festival memories are among the only wonderful memories I have as a family with them.”

All of them turned to the startled gasps coming from next to the shelf holding a few bags of rice and a single box of breakfast cereal.

“Shit, how long were you two standing there?” Pierre asked as he hurriedly slipped his glasses on.

“Long enough to hear about Thane’s wife. That is why you reacted the way you did last night? I heard from Leah you threatened to kill Demetrius. Did you?”

“No, I did not. I told him not to harm the jellyfish.”

“Wait… he was going to harm the Moonlight Jellies?” Abigail said and pushed her purple hair behind her ear.

“After Maru commented about all the new babies, he said they would have to monitor them and cull them if the population got too high. The thing is, Abigail, what we have here is a small section of the ocean which we see, not the vastness. What if the ones we saw last night are all there are, and he decides, in his limited scope of view, the count is too high? Demetrius is a scientist who studies local wildlife, true. Only the jellyfish isn’t just a local species, but a migratory one. What if his interference in “culling” the species impacts a different part of the ocean? Of a species that relies on the jelly as a food source? Or plants or other fish that have a symbiotic relationship with the jelly?” Shepard said as she leaned against the counter. “Scientists have a habit of focusing on the small picture and not seeing the big one. The effect it could have hundreds or thousands of years down the line.”

“What about the rest of it?”

“Rest of what?” Thane asked Abigail.

“Seb said the jellyfish were sacred to you. What did he mean?”

Thane nodded, “They inhabit an underwater ruin from centuries past where I come from. They live there in peace and keep the other organisms in check. During a religious festival, the one you heard about, the plants the jellyfish live in are harvested for their bio-luminescent quality and used during rituals to our gods and to honor them and others. We protect the tipu o’ tira as they help to protect the plants from a herbivorous species of fish which would decimate them. The ruins are the only location we can find the plants.”

Abigail stormed out the front door of the store and turned right, heading for the clinic next door.

“Now that was something I didn’t know. I didn’t hear what caused you to grab him as you did. Only Harvey, Robin, and her family, and Leah were close enough to hear. But why did Leah spread the rumor you threatened him?” Pierre said.

Shepard shrugged, “It was a panic moment for them. What we think we hear and see while adrenaline and fear are pumping isn’t always the complete way of it.”

“And when he called you, Commander? Did Harvey hear that right?”

Shepard sucked her teeth, “Yeah, he heard it right. I used to be a Commander in a… well, let’s call it a branch of the military where we came from, and for one critical mission Thane served as part of a very specialized crew under my command.”

Pierre went to ask another question when the front door burst open and Abigail came storming back in with her fists clenched tightly. “It was true. Maru and Harvey both told me Demetrius said it. And it surprised Harvey when I told him the rumor Leah was spreading. He said Thane never said a thing about killing Demetrius.”

“I’ll make some calls and nip this rumor before it grows even larger. I’ll also talk with Robin and have her call Leah,” Caroline said. “We’ll help get this sorted.”

After Abigail and Caroline left, Pierre cleared his throat. “It seems I owe you an apology as well. I only had a part of the story and should have asked instead of just jumping to conclusions.”

“You have more of a reason to doubt us, Pierre. You know we’re not like you. We don’t hold grudges… usually,” Shepard said as she put the bag of seeds in her pack.

“Do I even want to know?” Pierre said trying to get back a bit of their usual banter.

“Nope. See you tomorrow, Pierre.”

* * *

  
  


Thane dumped the last of the water from his can on a cranberry seed, then went to refill it when Robin called out to him. She had the phone up against her ear and power walking toward him as fast as she could.

“Caroline just told me what was being said around town. I’m sorry about that, Thane. I know you said nothing of the sort, and I’m waiting for Leah to pick up her damn phone. She better call everyone she spread that rumor too and tell them she made a mistake.”

Thane tipped his head to her and went back to watering the plants.

“Leah, it’s Robin. We’ve got an issue and you better listen up because I’m only going to say this once. Stop spreading the rumor about Thane saying he was going to kill Demetrius when he said no such thing. Get your ass either on the phone or in town and tell whoever you told that it was a mistake.

“I don’t care what you might have thought you heard or what you perceived. Thane didn’t say it, and Demetrius shouldn’t have said what he did in the first place. You better start redialing every damn person you called as soon as I hang up.” Robin didn’t even say goodbye, she just disconnected the call.

She tucked the phone into her shirt pocket and nodded to him. “If you have any problems or hear someone spreading that crap, you call me. I’ll set them straight.”

Shepard cocked an eyebrow at Robin as the carpenter turned and hurried back to the chicken coop.

* * *

  
  


Shepard stood on the pier recasting her line and watching Thane as he stood barefoot and shirtless on the beach moving through a modified drell kata to release stress and find balance. She should have known the differences in their lives would cause an issue with the town, eventually. She just hoped it wouldn’t get worse.

Willy came out of the shop and nodded before standing next to her and casting his own line.

“Looks complicated,” he said and tipped his head toward Thane.

“It is. He started training when he was five. He used the motions to relieve stress from his job and also to keep his body functioning when he became ill.”

Willy grunted. “Heard a rumor about him. Didn’t pay it any mind. Funnily enough, I got another call an hour later saying they made a mistake.”

“Ah. Yeah. Sometimes we think we hear something when we really didn’t.”

“Uh-yah, know all about that. When you’re out at sea for a while you mistake some sounds for others.” An hour later Willy picked up his bucket of fish and went back into his shop.

* * *

  
  


Two days later Robin knocked on their door to tell them she finished the coop and to come have a look.

She painted the small building the same green colors as their home and had a tiny fenced area for the chickens to go in and out of to the side. “That little area is just for them to dig up some bugs in when the weather is bad and they can’t go out into the larger area. The small door there opens and closes on its own when the chickens walk through it. The small gated opening in the front is for them to go in and out of when the weather is nice. Just pull up on the handle and the door will open. Close it at night after they’re back inside to keep them safe. The large green door is the one you would use to go inside to feed them and collect the eggs and such.”

Robin opened the main door, and they walked in. A small, filled watering area was near the automatic door and another area had a wooden platform less than an inch off the floor. “That’s their feeding area. Take the food from the hopper,” she said and pointed to the short wooden bin near the feeding area, “place it in the food area for them daily. Well, during winter and when it’s raining and they don’t go outside. The barrels and crates have the cleaning tools, brooms, and rakes stored inside of them. You can rearrange it however you want.”

“Thanks, Robin, it’s perfect,” Shepard said and smiled at her.

“Yes, thank you, Mrs. Cline. We appreciate your hard work.”

Robin sighed and shook her head, “You don’t need to be formal, Thane. Call me Robin like you used to. I’m not angry with you. I sat Demetrius down and talked to him and explained the situation. At first, he didn’t want to listen. Maru came in and asked him if he had every piece of scientific information ever found out about the species and its impact on a global scale. He said he didn’t. She asked if there was a committee set up to study the creatures in-depth in a non-invasive way because she couldn’t locate one in any of her journals or science-based forums. And when he said he didn’t know, Maru told him they didn’t have the right to arbitrarily decide how many fish could be in the sea unless the study was exhaustive and conclusive, which according to her would take more than their lifetimes. Demetrius deflated and finally listened to us. You won’t have to worry about him doing something to the jellyfish. He’ll keep his distance and only observe them.”

Thane bowed to her, and she threw up her hands in exasperation, which caused Shepard to laugh. “Be thankful you haven’t met the other people who live in his homeland. They’d drive you crazy with their politeness.”

“I’ll see you both tomorrow at the festival,” Robin said as she walked back toward her truck.

Thane closed his eyes and took a deep breath and slowly released it. Shepard squeezed his shoulder, then nudged him. “Come on, we’ve got a ton of plants to water before Marnie opens her shop.”

* * *

  
  


Marnie narrowed her eyes as they came through the door, and Shepard cocked an eyebrow.

“What can I do for you folks?”

“We are here to purchase one of your chickens,” Thane said.

“Do you have a coop? A supply of food and someplace for them to be outside and safe?”

Thane nodded, “Yes, Ma’am. Robin completed the building of the coop this morning, and we’ve been drying hay since early last season.”

“Hmph. What about a heater? Do you have a way to keep them warm next season?”

“No, we do not currently have a heater and were hoping you had one in stock or if we needed to, order one so it would arrive by the end of this season,” he said.

“Well. You’re in luck, I have one available. I suppose since you’ve got everything they need, you can choose one.”

“Very kind of you. We’re happy we don’t have to go outside the valley to get a chicken; possibly a different breed of one. I would hate to have to explain why ours looked different from the ones the local rancher sells to everyone else,” Shepard said, and Marnie sniffed at her.

When they entered the barn, Jas was there playing with one of the baby ducks and waved to them. “Hi, Mr. Thane and Mrs. Shepard.”

“Hello, Miss Jas. Are you taking a break from your schoolwork?” Thane asked and Jas smiled.

“Yes. Today we only had to practice our writing. I’m learning to write my name in cursive letters now.”

“Wonderful.”

“Are you here to get an animal?”

“We are indeed. We had a coop built so we can begin raising chickens,” he said to her.

Shepard watched Marnie closely and saw the other woman’s brow furrow as she witnessed the encounter between Thane and Jas.

“Not what you were expecting?” Shepard whispered and Marnie looked at her. “He is not a monster or a madman. His faith runs deep, and he will defend it. Same as what any other person would if theirs came under attack. Think well on it. If you’re still in doubt, why don’t you talk with Robin and get the information from a better source than a rumor mill.”

“Faith?”

Shepard nodded, “You want the entire story? Talk with Robin and Maru.”

After another minute, Shepard called out to Thane. “I hate to interrupt guys, but tomorrow is a huge day for us and we’ve got so much to do. Thane needs to choose a baby chicken and get it back to the farm to settle in its new home, and we’ve got a lot of work and labeling to do.”

“Of course, Siha. As always, it’s been a delight talking with you, Miss Jas,” Thane said and the little girl giggled.

“Which one did you want?” Marnie said and gestured toward the three pens.

Thane walked up and down the row, stopping on this third pass in front of the pen with the white chickens. “May I please enter the pen to observe them closer?”

“I suppose. Just be careful.”

Marnie opened the gate and Thane cautiously stepped inside, his steps light and placed carefully. Finally, he slowly crouched down and waited until the small, white, down-covered puffballs came closer to him. He didn’t move, didn’t make any sudden noises to startle them, just held completely still. Then an off-white colored chick got up the courage to move closer, hopped up on his boot, and settled down on his toes. “We shall take this one.”

The small chick hadn’t enjoyed going into a box, so Thane promised to be extremely careful in carrying it. Shepard noticed the chick quieted and seemed happy to be tucked into Thane’s breast pocket.

Marnie shook her head and took their Gs after Shane brought out a heater from storage for them. Shepard noticed Shane’s startled look when the chick peeped and looked out over the edge of the pocket before ducking back down again.

“Thank you, Marnie. We hope we can do business with you again. Have a lovely day,” Thane said as they headed toward the door.

“Aunt Marnie? Did you sell him a chick after all? I thought you said you’d refuse them if they showed up here again because of what happened at the festival.”

Marnie looked at Shane. His clothes all askew in the normal messy way, his eyes bloodshot, and his breath smelling of beer. A complete opposite to the clean and polite man who just walked out the door.

“I may have been mistaken. I need to make a call. Can you watch Jas for a few minutes?”

* * *

Thane lowered the small chick to the floor of the coop as Shepard put the heater in a cleared corner.

“Have you thought of a name?” she asked.

“Poari. It means trust.”

Shepard nodded and watched the small, chirping puffball investigate the coop before making a beeline back to Thane’s boot.

Shepard sat on the porch putting the labels on jars of blueberry jelly after Thane wrote on them with his outlandishly good calligraphy writing style. Shepard sighed as once again Poari tried to make off with one of the labels.

“Thane. Do something about her. She should be in the coop, not on our porch.”

“I am sorry, Siha. She is so tiny and the coop so large for her to be alone in. I will finish the fenced area as soon as I can so she can see us and feel safer.”

“Thane, the coop has a small fenced area as it is for her to go in and out of. You’re spoiling her.”

“Shepard, she’s not a child but an animal. I can not possibly spoil her.”

Shepard snorted, shook her head, and grabbed for the sheet of labels before Poari could tear off a corner.


	29. Fall Market Festival

* * *

  
“Good morning, Stardew Valley. Today’s going to be crisp and clear, perfect weather for the Fall Market Festival. The town’s website has a full listing of markets and their goods. According to Mayor Lewis, today’s festival will be packed with exciting wares. As you may recall, because of the blockage of the railroad and still non-existent bus service, last year’s market didn’t do too well. This year, however, the market will be in full swing as the railway is again operational.

“Tomorrow’s weather will see clouds rolling in shortly after midnight and rain throughout the day.

“Willy wants to remind everyone of this season’s special catches and not to forget he buys fresh-caught fish, clams, mussels, oysters, and cockles as well. Fall is the only season you can catch salmon as they swim upriver to spawn. For those who prefer to fish at night, the walleye fish will be out during the rains, make sure to catch them while you can. For those who fish in the early morning, the ocean will teem with yellow sea cucumbers and albacore. There are many more fish available in our lakes, streams, and oceans. For more information, stop on by at Willy’s when he reopens his shop tomorrow at 9 AM.

“Blackberry season starts on the eighth. The bushes will be overloaded with ripe berries, so make sure you get out there before they’re gone. The season ends on the 11th and after that, you will rarely find them until next year; be sure to stock up.

“Doctor Harvey will be back at Midnight with today’s festival updates and a recap of tomorrow’s weather. Here’s Madame Welwick with today’s...”

Shepard shut off the radio and checked the storage chest, which held all the items they were selling at the festival. A half dozen bottles of their pale ale and another six containing the first of their beers. They added a dozen bolts of cotton cloth to the mix last night along with six jars of wild honey, six blue mist honey, and another six of the poppy and spangle honey. Shepard had wanted to add more, but Thane said to hold off in case it wasn’t all that popular. Or if it was, they could easily access the honey chest to get the last couple of jars from it.

The next row contained the jars of pickles and jelly. Twenty jars of salmonberry jelly took up one space while eight jars of blueberry jelly took up another, and a dozen hot pepper jelly rounded it out. Eight jars of corn pickles sat next to another eight jars of tomato pickles.

The last row contained the flowers. They sold only a handful of flowers starting the last of spring and held onto them all until the festival so they would bring 60 poppies, 60 summer spangles, and another 150 blue mist.

“I can’t believe we kept so many flowers,” she mumbled.

“We kept them because they will showcase the honey we produce.”

“If you say so. Come on, let’s check on Poari, and get to watering. We need to be in town in just over an hour.”

Poari ran to them as the large door to the coop opened.

Thane knelt down and picked her up to pat and coo at her. Shepard snorted and went to pet her, only to receive a sharp peck on her finger in return.

“Ouch. She bit me.”

Thane tch’d and said, “You must have startled her, Shepard. She didn’t bite me.”

“Uh-huh.”

Shepard swept up the uneaten hay out of the feed box and dumped it out into the small fenced portion of the coop before Thane pushed the button on the hopper and received a new portion.

“I’ll have the pen in place in a few days for her. It should make her happier according to the book Marnie wrote.”

Shepard nodded and checked to make sure the tiny side door was open for Poari to use.

“Okay, we need to get moving. There're hundreds of plants to water. We need to think about investing in sprinklers for next year.”

A rapid series of peeps echoed at them in the coop as they hurried to the door to slip out before Poari could get loose. When they looked at the side of the coop, they could just see her looking at them through the wire of the pen and peeping.

“Shepard...”

“No. She’s got to learn to stay in the coop and the yard. Not roam around the farm and maybe get hurt.”

“But Siha...”

“No buts, Thane. Get the watering can out.”

* * *

  
  


Abigail and Sam were standing next to the storage shed as Thane and Shepard arrived.

“Hey, guys, here for your stall?” Abigail asked.

“Yes,” Shepard said and handed her the receipt.

“Got it. They’ve got the spot between Gus and Pierre this year,” she said to Sam and handed the receipt back to Shepard.

Thane and Shepard watched as Sam swung the shed doors open and looked through the rows of neatly stacked stalls. He just found the one with the violet and cream-colored awning when Pierre called out to him.

“Sam, can you get mine while you’re in there?”

“Sure thing, Pierre. It’ll save time since they have the spot right next to yours.”

It took less than twenty minutes for Abigail and Sam to deliver their stall and for Thane to set up while giving Shepard directions on where everything went.

Pierre whistled. “Wow. That was quick for a first time set up.”

“Eidetic memory. I only need to see it done once and I remember every detail.”

Pierre grunted, “Must be nice. I forget what day it is sometimes. And I’d never forget my anniversary so Caroline wouldn’t be pissed at me anymore.”

Thane chuckled, and Shepard knelt down to place the chest behind the stall. The Junimo popped in and Shepard whispered, “No color. Market stall.”

Within a moment, the chest was ready. She opened the lid and pressed the tiny button for the storage chest they had in their house and pulled items from inside.

* * *

  
  


Thane went back to the farm to finish watering the plants as Shepard manned the stall for the morning. The crowds arrived and spread out as they moved around the town center.

Caroline stopped at the stall and picked up jars of blueberry and salmonberry jelly. “I’m so glad you guys are making jelly. It tastes exactly like Hollander’s recipes. You guys wouldn’t be willing to share the recipe would you?”

Shepard shook her head, “Sorry, Caroline. But if you go berry picking, stop by the farm and I’ll make you jelly from what you bring me.”

“How nice of you. Blackberry season is starting soon, so I may just take you up on your offer.”

A short time later Emily stopped by and purchased all the remaining bolts of cloth. “This is the best cotton cloth around. It’s softer and cleaner than the stuff coming from JojaMart. I hope you keep making it. Maybe add some wool too?”

Shepard smiled and dropped the Gs into her pack. “We’ll keep it in mind, Emily. I’m glad you like the cloth.”

Robin waved to her, “Hey, Shepard. Where’s Thane?”

“Finishing up the morning’s chores while I run the stall.”

Robin chuckled. “How’s your first market day going?”

“Not bad. There are more people here than I expected.”

Robin nodded, “If the town can ever afford to get the bus repaired and open for business again, the market and festivals will be even busier.”

Shepard groaned then smiled at the stranger asking about the flowers and honey.

“I better buy some of your honey before it’s all gone,” Robin muttered as yet another person came up and bought the last of the blue mist honey for a whopping 350Gs per jar.

After the other person left, Shepard winked at her and knelt down to bring up another jar of the blue mist honey and Robin laughed. “I’ll take it along with the summer spangle honey, and a jar of pickled corn. Oh hell, here comes Harvey, better give me two jars of the pickles because he’s going to buy the rest.”

Thane showed up a few hours later with a strange look on his face, which worried Shepard. “What’s wrong? What hap...”

* Peep *

“You didn’t.”

A cream-colored chick head popped out of Thane’s shirt pocket with another smug sounding peep before disappearing again.

They were doing a brisk business when the last person either one wanted to see slunk up to the stall.

Morris smiled his oily smile and looked over the wares while humming and making derogatory remarks on everything from the childish labels to the quality of the remaining flowers.

“Bugger off, Morris,” Shepard growled at him.

“Denying sales to a customer, Krios? How very unprofessional.”

“You’re not a customer unless you are thinking about buying something. And I can tell you are only at my stall to keep others from coming around. Not a single person has come this way since you weaved a slimy trail over here.”

Lewis stepped up, “Excuse me, Morris. Could you move over a bit I can’t see what’s for sale with you blocking most of the stall.”

* Peep *

Lewis blinked, then chuckled when the chick showed herself again. “Cute. I see you purchased a new addition to the farm. Very good. You’re building it into a profitable farm again. Glad to see it. I think I’ll purchase a jar of salmonberry jelly, poppy honey, and two of the remaining blue mist flowers. They are so lovely, and rare to find for sale.”

Thane packaged up Lewis’ purchases for him while Shepard took care of the money.

“Are you planning on providing more flavors of Serenity Garden’s honey?”

“Yes, Mayor. In fact, we have quite a lot of fairy rose honey due to be ready in just a few more days. We were hoping it would be ready for the market, but the flowers take a while longer to grow.”

“Wonderful. It’s been years since we’ve had access to it. Now, can you make me a list of what you’ll be selling the rest of the season along with prices so I can be sure charge the right amounts when I ship your excess out.”

Thane nodded and began writing a long list on the back of another paper bag, including shipping dates and prices.

“That incredible memory of yours. I suppose if I ask for a full list of goods you’ve sold since you arrived here, you could produce it?”

Thane chuckled and kept writing. “Every flower, every gem, every can of Joja Cola we fished out of the stream as trash. And the day we shipped it.”

Pierre chuckled when he heard the conversation. “I was telling him the same thing. No more missed birthdays or anniversaries. No more trying to remember what I had in stock and where I put it.”

“Pierre, if everyone had his memory he’d put my inventory software business… out of business,” Sebastian said as he came to stand in front of the stall. “Hey Dude, how’s it going? Maru wants to know if you guys have any spare battery packs you can sell. No one else seems to have any, and Mom’s fresh out until the next thunderstorm rolls in.”

“Not helping Robin with the stall today?” Shepard asked as Thane bent down and opened the storage box.

Sebastian snorted. “No. I got out of it by agreeing to trudge around the damn town trying to find the pack.”

Thane laid the pack on the counter. Sebastian cocked a black eyebrow at the peeping coming from Thane’s pocket.

“Dude… your pocket sounds like a chicken. New ring tone?” He started coughing when the chick poked her head out.

Thane laughed. “That’ll be 500Gs, Sebastian.”

Morris hissed and stalked off.

Lewis huffed, “Never thought he’d leave. Hopefully, your sales will start back up again since he’s gone.”

Shepard laughed, “We’ve almost sold everything as it is. Just what you see on the counter is all that’s left. Next year we’ll have a lot more. Including some eggs and maybe even chickens to sell.”

* Peep *

Shepard could have sworn the peep sounded indignant.

* * *

  
  


After they sold the last of the flowers, they collapsed the stall down and sent a message to Sam and Abigail for them to pick it up and put it back into storage.

Shepard bought two fish tacos and a blueberry tart. “Thanks, Gus.”

They looked over everyone’s stalls as they walked through the town center.

They were lucky enough to get the last round of butter from Marnie’s stall after she stopped laughing when she noticed the chick in Thane’s pocket.

He wandered over and began looking at the animals Marnie had for sale and spoke with Shane, who was grudgingly watching over them.

“You’re going to have a mess on your hands if he keeps spoiling that chicken.”

Shepard grunted. “I know. I told him to stop it, but I turn my back and leave him alone for a minute and all it takes is one lousy sad-sounding peep and she’s back in his pocket.”

Marnie snorted, “That’ll stop in just a few days when she gets bigger.” Marnie glanced around before she lowered her voice, “I’m sorry for the way I acted. You were right. When Leah called me and told me what happened I thought the worst of him. Later on she said she’d been wrong but sounded like she hadn’t really meant it. I should have talked to Robin and didn’t. I know what really happened now.”

Shepard nodded and smiled, then glanced over when Marnie chuckled. “You better go get him before he falls for those doe eyes the calf is making at him.”

Shepard rolled her eyes and tugged Thane’s arm, reminding him they didn’t have a barn.

They stopped for a minute at Clint’s stall and looked at several decorations he carved out of minerals and purchased a small frog made from jade. “Clint, we’ve got some huge rocks on the farm which the copper pick won’t break. What do you suggest?”

The blacksmith thought for less than a minute before he muttered, “If they’re the size I think they are, you’ll need at least a gold level pick. You must upgrade to a steel one for five bars of iron and 5,000Gs first. A gold one will take five bars of gold and 10,000Gs. That’s the same price as the rest of the tools too, for future reference. Three days to make it once you give it to me.”

She whistled. “That’s a lot.”

He grunted. “Iridium is the best quality I can make; takes five bars of iridium, which is pretty rare, and 25,000 Gs. But it will break anything you hit with it.”

“Yeah… that one’s going to have to wait. We’ve never found a single piece of this iridium ore, not even sure what it looks like.”

Clint sighed and reached under his counter to remove a single chunk of ore and placed it on the table. “Iridium ore.”

Shepard and Thane looked over the star-shaped piece of blue and purple ore.

“That’s different.”

Clint nodded and stuffed the ore back under the stall’s counter.

“See ya later, Clint.”

“Uh-huh.”

Their next stop was at Robin’s stall, where they looked over several pieces of furniture.

“Hey guys, sold out already?”

“Yeah. We’ll have more next time. How much is this dining table and chairs?” Shepard asked.

“Seven hundred fifty Gs for the table and three hundred fifty Gs per chair. Delivery included.”

“What about the couches and armchairs?”

“Seventeen hundred and fifty for any of the basic couches, and each armchair costs 1,000.”

Thane and Shepard looked over the rest of the furniture.

“We’ll take the yellow couch with matching armchair, two walnut dining chairs with a table, those two floor lamps with the cream-color shades, and the oval-shaped yellow rug. What’s the damage?” Shepard said as Robin wrote their purchases on a notepad.

“Total with delivery comes to five thousand, five hundred and fifty Gs. I’ll toss in one houseplant as a housewarming gift. I’ll deliver it first thing in the morning.”

They paid and Shepard picked up one of the small houseplants with tiny yellow flowers on it and a bright red pot.

* * *

  
  


“Excuse me. Excuse me. Are you the ones who sold the honey with the cute Serenity Gardens label on it?” An older woman asked as she hurried to catch up with them.

“Yes, we are. We own the Serenity Gardens farm in Stardew Valley,” Shepard said.

“Lovely. Do you have a website where we can order more? My daughter bought one of your jars and we opened it to have a bit with our lunch. It was wonderful.”

“Thank you. We’re glad you enjoyed it. We are just getting established at the moment, so we do not have a website. We supply our General Goods store and also ship a very limited quantity through our town’s Mayor. Perhaps one of those options would be suitable until we can create an online store?” Thane said.

“We live a few hours outside of town. Coming here for one jar of honey would become expensive. Do you know where your Mayor sells your products at?”

“Give me one moment, Ma’am and I’ll ask,” Thane said and pulled out his phone. He smiled as the woman caught sight of the chick in his shirt pocket and giggled.

“He sells to a small roadside stand outside of Zuzu City for now. Is that a better option?”

“Roadside stand… I don’t remember ever seeing… oh, wait, now I do. It’s on the other side of town, not more than a fifteen-minute drive. Oh yes, that will do splendidly until I can order from you personally.”

The woman thanked them and hurried back in the direction she came from.

“Looks like we’re going to need to get ourselves online quicker than expected,” Shepard muttered and Thane nodded.

They ended up back at Pierre’s stand and looked through his seed packets and purchased another forty bok choy seeds since the produce grew like crazy and could be eaten in a salad or pickled.

“We’ll stop by in the morning to buy those saplings from you, Pierre,” Shepard said as Thane looked through the seed catalog.

“Alright. If you guys have any produce, bring it with you, please. I’m running low on some stuff and Joja Corp keeps apologizing for losing my orders.”

“We have wheat and will have some bok choy to bring tomorrow. At the end of the week, we’ll bring you some other stuff too. Do you think we could get a look at the seed machine? We think Hollander might have built it and just want to verify.”

Pierre hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah. I’m not supposed to show anyone outside the family, but considering you guys have Hollander’s crafting book and making a go of his farm, it’d be alright.”

* * *

Shepard placed an armload of hay into the hopper while Thane petted the chick and put her in on a small mound of fall grass he cut right before coming inside.

“Thane, I swear to the goddess you’re spoiling that chicken.”

“She’s just a baby and needs a bit more comfort.”

Shepard rolled her eyes and shook her head at Thane’s whisper of good night to the bird.


	30. Rain, Seeds, and Growing Trees

* * *

After Robin delivered the furniture and they put it into place, they put on their rain gear and headed out to take care of the crops and Poari.

“Let me go take care of Poari, Thane, while you pick bok choy. I’ll come help as soon as I know she’s taken care of.”

Thane blinked and hesitated before fastening the clasps on his red raincoat. “Alright. Make sure she doesn’t get out of the coop so she doesn’t get ill. And make sure her water is clean. And...”

“Thane.”

“Yes, Siha?”

“I know. I was also thinking we should get her a little friend so she won’t be lonely in the coop while we work and she _learns to stay _in the fenced area.”

“Yes, Siha.”

Shepard kissed his cheek and hurried out into the pouring down rain.

When the door to the coop creaked open, Shepard stepped through and shut it as quickly as she could. She heard the peeping and scrabbling of tiny taloned feet on the wood floor of the coop.

She knelt down and waited for Poari to come closer. Instead, the bird gave a low peep and ran back to the small mound of grass.

“You’re going to be like that, are you?” Shepard said then grabbed the stiff-bristled broom out of the barrel to clean out the feeding area. “Thane won’t always be coming in here to take care of you, you know. I’ve got your number, chicken. I’m getting another hen to be in here too, so you won’t get away with those lonely sounding peeps that make him stick you in his pocket. I know what you’re up too, don’t think I don’t, young lady.”

The chick peeped again and scooted around to show her back to Shepard.

Shepard dumped in a portion of hay into the feed area and made sure the small door was open then headed for the main door.

She heard the peep and stopped. “Oh, no, you don’t. It’s pouring down rain out there. You’re staying in here where it’s dry and you won’t get sick. Go on, go eat.” She made a shooing motion and slipped out the door.

It took them another hour to harvest and replant the bok choy.

“Ready to go see what the smuggler lady brought this week?” Shepard said over the sound of the rain.

Thane nodded, and they headed for the south exit.

* * *

  
  


“Welcome visitors. I come from a land far away to bring you merchandise from afar. Have a look at my wares.”

Shepard sighed and looked over the stuff out of courtesy before giving the passphrase.

“Didn’t think you guys would show up in this downpour,” the woman said as she unlocked the door to the wagon.

“At least it’s not a thunderstorm,” Shepard replied.

“That’s the truth. I’ve got some good stuff this week. More farmers are sending items since you all are proving to be farmers and not Joja supporters. One of them sent some out of season seeds if you want to stock up for next year now’s a good time. Do you have anything for me?”

“Twenty bok choy, a couple of last season’s poppies, and ten blue mist flowers.”

“I’ll take em. The florist is going to love those blue mists.”

“Okay, but you’ve got to promise us you won’t mention anything about how we bring you the stuff.”

The merchant tipped her head and furrowed her brow. “Alright. I’m not exactly sure what I would want to tell others about. While you get the merchandise you want to sell, I’ll gather what you want and have your total ready when you get back.”

Shepard shook her head. “Unnecessary. We brought it all with us.” Shepard opened her pack and put the items on the pull-out table of the wagon. The merchant’s jaw dropped as she kept pulling more and more from her tiny pack. All of it fresh and looked to have been picked just that morning.

“How is that possible? How could you fit all of this into that tiny pack?”

Thane shook his head. “It’s a trade secret we’re not willing to share. Just as this setup with the other farmers is a secret from Joja, the packs and our ability to grow and harvest items and produce goods is our own secret.”

After a few seconds, the merchant nodded her agreement and looked everything over before coming to a fair price for everything.

“Alright, here’s what I got this time. Cucumbers for 65Gs each, they’re a trellis plant for summer. Gooseberry plants for 80Gs each; repeat harvest for summer, they make a great pie. For fall, I’ve got blackberry seed at 60Gs, repeat harvest and great for snacking from the bush, making jelly if you’ve got the time or even wine of you’ve got the equipment. Peanuts at 60Gs, you can boil them to eat or ship them out, not much is really done with them. The farmer who grows them sells them to the tavern in his town. Been inside it once, won’t go back. They shell the nuts and toss the hulls on the floor. What a mess. Had pieces of peanut hulls in the treads of my shoes for days.

“The florist sent along her special fall rose bushes. They grow on a trellis and are a repeat harvest. She tells me they are a big seller, but they’re expensive at 200Gs a pop.

“I’ve brought two trees from my farm for you guys this time since you all were kind enough to buy the avocado tree from me. I was worried I’d be stuck with it at the price I had to charge, anyway, I’ve got a lemon tree which if you get it into the ground today will be ready to drop fruit the first week of spring and a cashew nut tree that’ll be ready for next fall. The lemon costs 2,000Gs and the cashew 4,000Gs.”

Thane glanced at Shepard. “We’ll take the trees. Ten of all the seeds but the roses. We’ll buy four of those.”

The woman nodded and packaged up the seeds. Each of them held a sapling in their arms as they headed for Marnie’s ranch.

Marnie looked up when the shop door opened. “You guys must be soaked. Come on in, what can I help you with?”

“We’re here for another chicken. Poari needs a companion to keep her company because she needs to learn to stay in her coop or her fenced yard,” Shepard said and Thane shifted the sapling into his other arm which effectively hid his face from Marnie.

Marnie’s lips twitched. “Always good to have more than one. That’ll be 800Gs and I’ll take you to the coop to choose another one.”

Shepard handed the lemon sapling to Thane and paid for the chicken.

In the barn, Thane moved down the row, and Shepard cleared her throat. “I think one Poari is enough. I’ll pick this one.”

Thane sighed and moved over to look at the ducks. Shepard ended up choosing a black and orange one. Marnie didn’t have any problems settling the tiny chick into a well-cushioned transport box for her.

Shepard opened the coop door and Thane hurried inside. As soon as Poari caught sight of him, she started peeping as if she was in great need. Shepard muttered under her breath as Thane put down the saplings, picked up the chick, and began petting her.

After opening the small transport box, Shepard carefully lifted out the other chick who peeped quietly and let Shepard pet her a bit before beginning to explore the coop.

An angry-sounding peep came from Poari, and Thane tutted her. “Ah ah. You must be nice to the new one. This will be her home as well.”

Shepard shook her head and put another helping of hay in the feeder. Thane put Poari down on her bed of grass and caressed the soft, dark-colored down of the other chick.

“What is her name, Siha?”

Shepard looked at the calm little chick and grinned, “Paix, it means Peace.”

Thane smiled. “Perfect.”

After planting the new trees and fall seeds, they headed to Pierre’s.

When they opened the store’s door, Pierre called out for Caroline. “Shepard and Thane are here to pick up the saplings. Watch the store for me, I don’t know how long it’s going to take because we need to be careful with those trees.”

Caroline patted his arm and told him not to worry.

Pierre drove them several minutes outside of town. He turned down a small lane which ended in a locked gate. “Give me a second, this is where my greenhouses are located.” He rolled down the window, pushed in a six-digit code on the small keypad, and gate shuddered then rolled to the side.

They followed the lane further until they came to a row of six greenhouses.

“These have been in the family for a very long time. I don’t use all of them anymore since the villagers insist on buying the cheap crap from JojaMart. But if you guys can help turn things around, I can also be in full production again; doing more than just growing a few things for my family and for seeding the food, which doesn’t sell down to start the entire cycle again. Such a waste.”

“We just bought more seeds from the merchant which, just like the rest of the items, wasn’t in your catalog. So Joja Corp either still doesn’t have access to them or thinks there will be no profit in it. Here’s to hoping they’re wrong.”

“What did you get?” Pierre asked as he turned left at the intersection and headed for the last greenhouse.

Thane told him, and Pierre glanced at him in the rear-view mirror. “Blackberries? Someone turned them into seeds?”

“Yeah. The merchant said they separated the seeds and wiped them down before letting them dry for an entire season on newspapers.”

Pierre blinked and shut off the car. “We used to do that too until dad got this machine. It takes thirty minutes or so. The machine even stamps the name and picture on the finished packet.”

After unlocking the greenhouse, they walked in to see rows of neatly growing fall vegetables in a large section in the middle of the building. Six individually boxed off sections were on each side of the area, and all of them contained trees that were little more than sticks with a few leaves on them.

“Oh man,” Shepard said and knelt to look at the closest one.

“I know,” Pierre whispered. “They’ve been like that since forever. Haven’t grown, haven’t died; just stuck as small saplings. I’ll understand if you’ve changed your mind.”

Shepard sighed and stood up. She ran a hand through her red hair and grimaced at how long it had gotten since she’d been here, then turned toward Pierre. “Let me think about it, Pierre. Why don’t you show us the seed machine?”

Pierre pointed toward the back of the greenhouse.

Thane glanced down at the saplings as they walked past them and frowned. They were smaller than the ones they purchased from the smuggler. He wasn’t sure they would survive being moved, let alone grow outside of this contained environment, especially with winter just around the corner.

“Well, this is it,” Pierre said and pointed to a wooden machine that sat knee-high off the floor. It was made of wood with a mesh screen sitting on top and a box under it.

Thane knelt down to examine the machine closer and hummed before running his hand over the aging machine. “It’s fairly old.”

“Do you really think it was Hollander’s?” Pierre asked.

Thane glanced at Shepard. “Was your father’s name Edgar, by chance?”

Pierre blinked and looked at her, “It was? How did you know? I’ve never told either of you.”

Thane stood. “We found one of Hollander’s journals, his last journal actually. There was a very specific entry in it containing the machine and your father.”

“Really? Can I read it?”

Thane cleared his throat, “The journal is at home and someplace safe due to information concerning other matters best left hidden. I can tell you the entry, although I have to warn you, humans usually find it unnerving when I let solipsism take over.”

Pierre gripped his rain hat in his hand and squeezed it. His eyes flicked toward Shepard and she smiled at him. “It’s a bit strange at first, but there is nothing to worry about.”

Pierre swallowed and nodded.

Thane closed his eyes for a moment, then took a breath. His eyes shot open, glazed over, and began flicking rapidly from side to side.

“Shepard raises a yellow journal and waves it at me. ‘I found something,’ she says, then flips through the pages to reveal the last entry. She reads.

_The spirits visited me in my dreams last night. They whispered there is still hope. They told me one day the valley would live and thrive. They told me to destroy the machines, to make sure no one could get my plans until it was time. I woke earlier than usual and struggled to get out of bed. I trusted the spirits with my entire being, so I burned them all. Every single machine. Every single one except for a seed maker which I entrusted to Edgar, the owner of the General Goods store, and a very dear friend to me. He promised to take care of the machine and not to let anyone outside of his family know of it. I believe him and I trust him.”_

Thane blinked and cleared his throat.

Pierre whistled. “You really can remember everything, can’t you?”

Thane nodded. “Every moment since my eidetic memory formed at three years of age. Every word, every sound, every pain, every touch. Every loss.”

“And every wonderful moment, Thane.”

He nodded, “And every good moment, Siha.”

“So the machine is Hollander’s after all. I thought it might have been, but my father wouldn’t ever say.”

“It’s the only one in existence, Pierre. Hollander’s crafting book doesn’t have the blueprint for it.”

“Yoba. What was my father thinking just letting the machine sit out in the greenhouse like this?”

“Who would have thought it was anything but a seed drying area? Lay a few sheets of newspaper over the top to disguise it, and no one would give it a second look,” Shepard said.

Pierre hummed.

She brought out one of the bok choy plants. “Mind if I give it a go?”

He shrugged, “Just put it on top of the mesh.”

She crouched down and laid the plant on top. The mesh flipped over, dumping the plant into the box, and the whole contraption rocked and bounce.

“Yep, definitely a Hollander creation,” she muttered.

She didn’t show any outward sign of feeling the two featherlight taps on her shoulder but shifted slightly so she could see out of the corner of her eye at her two o’clock position. A small, blue Junimo bounced next to the sapling before wrapping its black, twiggy arms around it. Shepard stroked the side of her jaw as several more taps to her shoulder happened.

Shepard stood and waited for the machine to finish. When it did, Pierre pulled the box out and there were two seed packets with the picture of a bok choy on the front of them.

Shepard nodded. “We’ll take the saplings, just promise us personally you’ll take care of this machine.”

He nodded and handed them the seed packets. “I will, although I’m not sure what’s going to happen later on. Abigail has no interest in the shop or farming at all.”

“Long way off yet, Pierre. Let’s focus on keeping your shop going, and our farm expanding.”

Pierre nodded and jammed his rain hat into a pocket of his coat before reaching for several burlap sacks on a shelf. “Let’s get these saplings ready for transporting and planting. We have to be careful how we do it.”

Thane hid his grin as Shepard hummed, and Pierre eased a hand spade into the soil along the edges of the planting area. The green Junimo holding onto the apple sapling make a sproing sound just before the burlap covered it and the root ball of the tree.

Shepard stood in the pouring rain as Thane marked the spacing for the trees in the freshly cleared area. The piles of logs were off to the side and ready to be dropped into one of the chests as soon as they planted the trees.

“I’m ready for the apricot trees, Siha.”

Shepard checked the small tags Pierre attached to the saplings and picked up two of them and headed down the row. The ylang-ylang tree was almost fully grown and the avocado tree had shot up overnight to be almost waist-high.

“Here we go, Thane. I hope the Junimo didn’t get bumped around too much on the ride here. That lane had a lot of potholes in it.”

He chuckled and lifted the bundled sapling from her arms and placed it gently in the ground before covering the burlap bag back up and tamping down the soil. They waited a few minutes and began to worry when the little sapling didn’t do the shivering and adjusting the other ones did.

“What’s going on?” she said. He shrugged. They let out a sigh of relief as the blue Junimo appeared and straightened the tree before bouncing around it and disappearing. They repeated the process until they planted all twelve of the new trees.


End file.
